ANAMBRA GUBER POLLS: PETER OBI SECURES 2ND TERM, WINS OVER 97,000 VOTES.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Nigeria on Sunday at about 10am declared Mr Peter Obi of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) winner of the much awaited 
Anambra State Gubernatorial election held at the weekend.
Resident Electoral Commissioner of INEC, Anambra State, Mr. Josiah Uwazuruonye who announced the result said the incumbent governor polled 97,843 ballots from a total, 301,232 votes cast.
A report filed in by Mrs Ngozi Okwuogu of the Federal Ministry of Information and Communications who was on ground during the exercise said about 23,200 Policemen, 10,000 additional Civil Defence Corp officials, Soldiers, Road Safety Officers and a bevy of Youth Corp members had been deployed to manage the 4,623 polling units spread across the 21 Local Governments of the state.
Minister of Information and Communications, Prof. Dora Akunyili had reportedly called on the people of Anambra to ensure a hitch-free poll saying the stake was high for the state as well as for Nigeria. She had also described the election as a litmus test for democracy in Nigeria.
The Minister was speaking to journalists at Agulu Ward where she went to cast her vote. According to her, “Rebranding cannot succeed unless we are able to conduct free and fair elections.” In the same vein, a former Vice President of Nigeria, Dr. Alex Ekwueme called on the people of Anambra State to come out and exercise their civic duty by voting the candidate of their choice as Governor. He made the call at Oko Ward polling centre where he cast his vote.
Meanwhile, the report filed in said despite plans by INEC to commence the elections by the stipulated 9.00 am, voting did not commence until 10.30am in most polling centers. This was attributed to delays in the distribution of election materials. INEC Resident Commissioner for Anambra State, Mr. Uwazuruonye told Information Officers that all materials had left INEC Headquarters to the various Local Governments for onward distribution to the polling centers.
However, despite arrangements that electoral materials would get to polling centers by 8.00 am, reports confirmed that probably in no local government did this happen. At Awka South Local Government, which is closest to the INEC Headquarters, the officials, materials and security personnel were awaiting directives as at 8.30 am. The first sign of delivery of materials was observed at a polling centre in Agulu Ward II in Anaocha Local Government Area by 9.10 am. However, another polling centre in the same ward (no 019) which was close to the home of the incumbent Governor was not served. In fact by 10.45 when officials returned to the center, it was still unserved.
At 10.30am, in Okoh, Orumba North Local Government Area, where voting had commenced at Central School, Oko Ward 1, moving on to Isuofia in Aguata Local Government, the home area of one of the candidates, Prof. Charles Soludo, neither officials nor materials had arrived at Ofiyi Ward II as at 11.35am. An observer from Global Agenda for Total Emancipation, Abuja, Mrs. Ifeoma Ibegbunam confirmed this. Before Isuofia however, the FIC, Anambra team was at Ekwulobia where it met the materials being sorted at 11.00am.
In Nnewi, the team was at Uru Hall where out of the seven polling units (009-015) only five had ballot boxes; and by 12.30pm only one of the units (010) had commenced voting. At Uru, the reality of disenfranchisement dawned on many voters as their names were conspicuously missing from the voters register. This problem became more widespread as the team moved further into the state. At Alor, Idemili South Local Government, which is the home place of another prominent candidate, Dr. Chris Ngige, only about 25 percent of the names of the people that turned out were on the register. The candidate was seen lamenting bitterly to pressmen.
By 1.00pm, voting was however well under way in most centers. At Onitsha ward 1, Nkpor Junction, voting was in progress and there was peace and calm at the centre. The same was the case at Ezechima Primary School in Onitsha North Local Government and Central School Odoakpu in Onitsha South Local Government. Another centre visited was Iwene Tansi Primary School at 3-3, Onitsha.
At Dunukofia Local Government, elections were holding without hitches at the four polling units located at the Central School, Dunukofia, by 3.30pm. At Njikoka Local Government, two centers were monitored; they are Abagana and Enugwu Ukwu. At Enugwu Ukwu, where the team arrived at 4.00pm, the team witnessed the counting of the votes at units 003 and 004 despite the announced extension to 5pm by INEC. The counting was conducted transparently.
Meanwhile, the total valid votes cast was 284,547 while 16,685 were rejected. Total number of registered voters in Anambra stands at 1,844,815. But only 301,232 voted at the election in which 25 political parties participated.
In the second place was Ngige, former governor of the state, who polled 60,240 votes, followed by Soludo who got 59, 355 ballots.
With Saturday’s victory, Obi became the first governor of the state to win a second term. He had emerged governor after winning a prolonged election petition against the election of Ngige who was then of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Obi and the APGA were declared the winner of the 2003 governorship election and he assumed office on March 17, 2006.
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