Enugu Community Threatens to Boycott Relocation of Polling Units

The people of Oruku Community in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State have petitioned the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), threatening to boycott the March 28 and April 11, 2015 election, if the two polling units relocated from the community to the neigbouring Umuode community were not restored.

The community said there was no justification for the relocation of the two polling units by the commission, as the action was capable of disenfranchising several eligible voters in the area, and urged the commission to reverse it before the coming election.

INEC in Enugu State had, through a letter to the traditional ruler of Oruku Autonomous Community, dated March 13, 2015 and signed by its Administrative Secretary, Mr. Owhor Nathan, notified the community of its decision to move the two poling units out of Oruku.

The commission said that “the purpose of the relocation is to provide two polling units for the people of Umuode Autonomous Community out of the five polling units in Oruku Autonomous Community, from where Umuode people have relocated, while retaining three polling units for Oruku Community.” The commission asked the monarch to inform his people of the decision, so as to enable them know where to vote during the general election, explaining that it had approved a nationwide relocation of polling units from places of worship and private buildings to public buildings, and from areas of concentration of polling units to locations where there are no polling units.”

But the decision did not go down well with the Oruku natives, many of who had registered at the relocated polling units, and it would be impossible for them to move to Umuode to vote in view of the unresolved communal feud between the two communities. The affected polling units were Community Primary School, Oruku, with code number 006, moved to Community Primary School, Umuode and Afor Uzam Oruku, with code number 008, moved to Eke Umuode market square.

However, in their reply to the letter, signed by Mr. Cyprian Nwatu, president-general of Oruku Town Union, the community said that there was no Umuode person that registered at Eziobodo Primary School under code 006, alleging that “the aim of Umuode community, was to carry the population of Oruku to swell up their own population for other political and social machinations against the Oruku community,” it said.