Voters in Ebenator community, Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State, were left stranded on Saturday morning as voting failed to start hours after the official kick-off time.
By 10:50 a.m., more than two hours after polls were meant to open, no election materials or officials had arrived at most polling stations. Frustrated residents, numbering over a thousand, gathered in groups at the various units, waiting under the sun and hoping the process would begin.
Some voters told reporters they had been in line since as early as 7 a.m. “People have been here since morning but INEC officials haven’t arrived. Everyone is just waiting,” one resident said as quoted by the Punch.
Reports from other parts of Nnewi South showed similar delays, with many polling centres still closed long after the 8:30 a.m. commencement time announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The setback was linked to the late distribution of voting materials.
Meanwhile, tension briefly flared in Awka after a police pilot vehicle collided with a tricycle carrying members of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) on election duty at Aroma Junction.
The tricycle was badly damaged and overturned in the middle of the road before being lifted back into position. Witnesses said there were no serious injuries, although the crash drew the attention of passersby and security agents nearby.
“It was a scary moment, but thankfully, no one was seriously hurt,” an eyewitness said.
Naijaonpoint reports that Saturday’s governorship election features 16 candidates from different political parties, all hoping to unseat the incumbent, Professor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), who is seeking re-election.
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