Elections: INEC gets thumbs up in Enugu State

Chief Lawrence Agubuzu, Chairman, Enugu State Traditional Rulers’ Council, has said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), performed “exceptionally well” during the just-concluded elections.

Agubuzu spoke at a“Post-Election Appraisal Stakeholders’ Meeting’’ organised by INEC in Enugu on Monday.

“This election was the first time some communities with difficult terrain in the state, where elections hardly start on time, had materials before 7 a.m. and election kicked-off at 8 a.m.

“The arrangement was relatively perfect in terms of timing and arrival of materials and personnel; INEC staff were well-cultured and respective throughout the election,” he said.

Mr Rex Arum, NUJ chairman in Enugu, who also spoke, said that he monitored the exercise in eight local government areas where he discovered that INEC made serious arrangement for the polls.

He said, however, that the postponement of the elections was a little dent on what would have been a perfect scenario.

Mr Isaac Onukwuba, Director, National Orientation Agency (NOA), in Enugu State, applauded INEC’s performances in all aspect of the elections, saying that the commission put in place a lot of efforts, time and money to ensure a successful exercise in Enugu State.

Onukwuba, however, said that the people of the state did not show expected interest and reciprocity in the election, regretting that the voters’ turnout was very low given a population of 1.9 million voters.

Mr Kevin Nwagwu, who represented the Commissioner of Police, Mr Suleiman Balarabe, said that during the elections, there was no security breach at any polling booth, adding that all security agencies worked in synergy.

“It is the most peaceful and secured election in recent times in the state and the Police Command in Enugu are generally grateful to other sister security agencies for a hitch-free election,’’ Balarabe said.

The Chief Imam of Nsukka, Alhaji Adam Ugwuanyi, thanked the federal and state governments for creating the enabling environment for a hitch-free and violence-free election in the state.

Ugwuanyi, however, urged INEC to do more enlightenment for the residents to participate massively in future elections.

Miss Oge Enwerem, representing the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), said that INEC in Enugu effectively used the social media to carry everyone along and to explain every aspect of the process to stakeholders.

Enwerem, who is with Divine Era and Social Right Development Initiative, said that CSOs were very impressed with the conduct of the elections in Enugu, especially INEC’s insistence that every vote must count.

Comrade Sam Obiefuna, who represented People Living with Disabilities (PLWDs), said that INEC performance surpassed expectations.

“This is the first time PLWDs were fully carried along and even allowed to be observers in an election. Our group observed a well-arranged and coordinated elections,’’ Obiefuna, who is with Disability Policy and Empowerment Consult, said.

Earlier, Resident Electoral Commissioner of the state, Dr Emeka Ononamadu, who took time to enumerate all INEC did before and during the general elections, said that cumulative report of monitors and observers of the election scored Enugu very high.

“The assessment of INEC Headquarters shows that the conduct of election in Enugu State was the best,’’ Ononamadu said.