Benue State’s capital, Makurdi, was paralyzed on Saturday as voters frantically tried to figure out where to cast their ballots in the ongoing local government election.
Between 10 a.m. and 1:10 p.m., our correspondent toured the town, stopping at polling places at the NULGE office, Ankpa quarters, Wadatta, Modern Market, North Bank, and NEPA polling unit along Otukpo road and Barracks road.
She saw no evidence of electoral materials. Election materials and electoral officers were absent from several of the polling places we visited. Voters asserted that they were requested to relocate to the ward headquarters in order to exercise their right to vote.
When our correspondent attended the NULGE voting unit at precisely 1:12 pm, the presiding officer, Enokela Akor, stated he had returned to the polling place at 7:30 am to await materials, but that he had not received any information as of 1:12 pm.
“As the presiding officer, I arrived around 7:30 am and as of 1:12 pm, I have not received the materials. The election was supposed to start by 8:00 am,” Akor bemoaned.
Electoral officers were observed sorting election materials when our correspondent visited the LGEA primary school, Walomaya ward collation center at approximately 11:37 am. The materials are supposed to be distributed to all polling stations.
When speaking with our correspondent at the toll gate ward collation centers in Tilley Gyado and Agan, some voters voiced concerns about what they perceived as the “centralization of voting.”
A source who gave his as Aondover told our correspondent, “We visited our polling unit at the old bridge, North Bank around 9 am but we were told to come to Agan collation centre to vote and we have been here for the past two hours and we don’t understand what is happening.”
Meanwhile, the chairman of the State Independent Electoral Commission, Richard Tombowua said election was going on in all polling units across the state.
He said, “From the report across the state election is going on and there is nothing like centralised polling unit.”
Meanwhile, the State Caretaker Committee Chairman of the ruling All Progressive Congress, Benjamin Omale said that he had visited seven polling units in Makurdi before 11 am and the election was going on smoothly.
But the newly elected State Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, Ezekiel Adaji described the election as ‘rubbish’.
He said, “This is 1:58 pm, I am still seated at my polling unit at Idekpa, (headquarters of Ohimini LGA) waiting for election materials and electoral officers, we are yet to see them.
“We decided to participate in the election because we thought as a priest, he would be able to conduct a free and fair election but this is something else.”
