The electoral body, Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, has blamed corps members working as ad hoc staff of the commission for delays in the commencement of the election.
A spokesperson for the commission, Mr. Solomon Soyebi, said most polling units could not open early as planned because many corps members who were meant to serve as polling officers did not have the right attitude towards the exercise.
Mr. Soyebi, who is INEC’s director of Voter Education and Publicity, explained that the electoral body had some problems with the corps members, especially those brought in from outside the state.
He said there was a mix-up in the posting of corps members and that most of them did not want to go to where they were posted.
In Awka South, for example, Mr. Soyebi said INEC had to move about 180 corps members to Nnewi North and South at about 8:30am which resulted in some delays.
He, however, expressed confidence that challenges, including card reader failure in some instances, would not affect the outcome of the election.
Meanwhile, The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has decried the malfunctioning of several card readers used for yesterday’s governorship election in Anambra State by the INEC.
APGA national chairman, Dr Victor Oye, made the observation in Awka, yesterday.
Oye said although the card readers captured his fingerprints at his polling unit at Amawbia in Awka South local government area, reports from most of the party’s agents across the state showed that the machines malfunctioned in many areas.
”INEC had given the impression that they had tested and confirmed more than 6,000 card readers for the November 18 election, but what happened on the functionality of the card readers was a far cry from what INEC told the public,’’ he said.
Oye, however, expressed satisfaction with the turnout of voters and with the presence and conduct of security operatives during the election.
The APGA national chairman said that the party was hopeful of emerging victorious at the end of the election, adding that any result that does not give victory to the party would be contested in court.
“We hope to win this governorship election because the majority of the parties appeared to have backed out and now in support of Governor Willie Obiano’s re-election bid.
“If at the end of the election, INEC fails to return Obiano as the winner, APGA will contest the outcome of the exercise at the election tribunal,’’ Oye said.