Anambra Election: IPOB Responsible For Low Voter Turnout – INEC

The low voter turnout during the inconclusive Anambra governorship election has been attributed to the sit-at-home order earlier issued by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB.

Recall that the outlawed group had ordered the sit-at-home across the South East region following the incarceration of its leader, Nnamdi Kanu.

But in a statement released last week by its spokesperson, Emma Powerful, IPOB announced the cancellation of the one-week sit-at-home order in the region.

The group disclosed that it cancelled the order following consultations with elders, traditional, and religious leaders in the zone.

But the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has held IPOB responsible for the poor turnout of voters during the election on Saturday.

Speaking with Channels TV on Sunday, INEC’s Supervising Residence Electoral Commissioner in Anambra, Sam Egwu, said voters refused to come and vote due to fear of being attacked by the proscribed group.

He said: “There is a whole state of fear that has been created by the politics of agitation for a separate state in this part of the country.

“IPOB has been able to enforce the sit-at-home order over time. So the fear of IPOB has become the beginning of wisdom.

“We have had a problem with extremely low voter turnout. The voter turnout, I think, if you are scientific in terms of what we are seeing in many local governments, you are actually dealing with less than 25 percent voter turnout, and this is not really good for our democracy.”

In the early hours of Monday, INEC declared the November 6 governorship election in Anambra state inconclusive.

The Returning Officer for the Gubernatorial Election, Professor Florence Obi made the announcement at the INEC head office in Awka, Anambra capital stating that there was no election in Ihiala Local Government Area of the state.

Obi, the vice-chancellor of the University of Calabar declared that the election process remains suspended until after a supplementary election is held in all the polling units of Ihiala Local Government.

Obi also stated that according to the Nigerian Constitution it was mandatory for INEC to conduct elections in the affected area before declaring a winner.

The supplementary election has been scheduled to hold on Tuesday the 9th of November 2021.

Meanwhile, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, (APGA), Professor Charles Soludo has been declared winner in 17 out of 21 local government election results so far declared in Anambra State.