The Saturday local government election in Ebonyi State was conducted across the state amid restrictions on human and vehicular movement imposed by the state government.
The restriction, ordered by Governor Francis Nwifuru, took effect at 8:00 a.m. and is expected to remain in place until 3:00 p.m. on Saturday to facilitate a smooth and secure conduct of the election.
The State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Barrister Ikeuwa Omebeh, announced the directive on Friday, saying security agencies had been mandated to ensure strict compliance throughout the designated period.
However, observations from some polling units indicated widespread voter apathy, with several ad hoc officials of the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC) seen waiting for voters to arrive.
As of noon, some polling units had recorded no voter turnout, while others witnessed only a handful of voters.
The election is also being conducted without the participation of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which accused the state government and EBSIEC of organising an exercise designed to favour the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement issued on Saturday, the PDP Publicity Secretary, Darlington Peter-Onwe, called on EBSIEC to suspend the election, citing what the party described as non-compliance with existing court orders and constitutional requirements.
The party also demanded amendment of the Ebonyi State Local Government Law to align the tenure of local government officials with the Constitution and the Supreme Court’s pronouncement in AG Federation v. AG Abia State & 35 Ors.
The PDP maintained that the exercise could not be regarded as a valid election, alleging that it was being conducted in defiance of subsisting judicial decisions.
The party further called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to take note of the development and urged the Ebonyi State Government to comply with all outstanding court orders relating to local government administration.
Meanwhile, Governor Nwifuru has commended EBSIEC for what he described as a seamless conduct of the election.
The governor spoke shortly after casting his ballot at Edupfu Okemini Polling Unit 002, where he participated in the exercise amid the reported low turnout in some parts of the state.
(Channels Tv)
