The Police in Awka today have waged a silent protest against the Nigerian Police Force [NPF] stating that the promised allowance and accommodation by the Inspector General of Police [Onovo] have not been fulfilled. The police officers were previously bused in from around the country against the conduct of gubernatorial elections. They told Ukpakareports.com that they had no accommodation and had to sleep at an open field at the Ekwueme Park in Awka. They charged that their allowances were intercepted by the higher ups in the Police chain of command.

In talking with the Anambra Police Public Relations Officer [PPRO], Emeka Chukwuemeka, he told Ukpakareports.com that all the salaries for the police officers are there. And that it may only be the result of logistics or delays from the sectional heads in the police department. He also mentioned that it also could be the result of a police officer not being happy with their job posting. For this reason, the police officers adopted an unfavorable stance towards the electoral exercise.   

Meanwhile the elevated scale of rigging in Anambra State [today] has taken siege of the Anambra democratic experience and threatens to destroy the remaining hope in the Nigerian experiment in democracy. This is as new information of the electoral exercise has come to sip into the open.

Credible information by Ukpakareports.com indicate that foulplay had taken over the handling of the voter's register. This is as the former vice president in the person of Dr. Alex Ekwueme rose to cast his vote at 12noon in Ezioko village in Oko of Orumba North LGA. As the elder statesman approached the ballot box to cast his vote, the voter's register appeared to not have his name. Exhaustive search by the poll clerk proved abortive.

To this, the elder statesman was puzzled. He told pressmen gathered at the polling center that during the senatorial re-run election of the Anambra South Senatorial district, his name was in the register. He continued to add that his name must have been removed by someone. The elder statesman went on to cast his vote regardless.

The same was the case at Isuofia when the former CBN governor rose to cast his vote at 1:15pm. The former CBN governor and PDP gubernatorial candidate discovered that his name was also not in the voter's register that it was suppose to be in. He later voted. Nnamdi Uba was also faced with the same problem. While Nnamdi Uba’s name was found in the voter’s register, the name of his brother, the former Senator [Ugochukwu Uba] was not found. Nnamdi Uba addressed the Press immediately following his voting and complained bitterly of an ill prepared electoral process. He pointed blame to the INEC.

The delivery of INEC materials also failed the people of Anambra State. While some areas in received their voting materials as early as 10am [INEC indicated that voting is to start 9am] other areas did not receive their materials at all. Some received their material too late. The polling booths in Nanka, a town in Orumba North LGA received their materials at 11am, the polling booths at Awka received theirs at 2pm and some did not receive theirs at all. One such polling booth that did not receive theirs is the polling station located at UniZik Junction in Awka metropolis [as depicted in the picture].  

Adding gravitas to the already marred election exercise is the violence that broke out in Osumeyi, the hometown of the Hope Democratic Party [HDP] candidate, Nicholas Ukachukwu. There were reported shootings at the various polling stations no confirmatory information indicating any injuries or casualties was incurred.

In addition is the voter’s apathy.  The voter apathy that had long been induced by the excessive presence of security and armed police officers along the streets in the communities of Anambra dampened the turnout of voters to levels never witnessed in Anambra State. The streets were deserted.