Polls: Enugu traditional rulers award INEC pass mark

By Moses Oyediran, Enugu

Chairman of the Enugu state Traditional Rulers Council, Igwe Lawrence Agubuzu, has said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) performed exceptionally well during the just-concluded general elections.

Agubuzu said this at a “Post-election appraisal stakeholders meeting” which was organized by INEC in Enugu on Monday.

He noted that it was the first time some communities with difficult terrains in the state, where elections hardly start on time had materials before 7 a.m. and election kicked-off at 8 a.m. prompt.

The monarch said that the arrangement was relatively perfect in terms of timing and arrival of materials and personnel, adding that INEC staff were well-behaved during the elections.

Also, the Chairman of the state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr. Rex Arum, said that he monitored more than eight local government areas where he discovered that INEC made serious arrangement for the polls.

“However, the postponement of the elections was a little dent on the elections as it affected the livelihood of most Nigerians and led to cancellation of most events within the period,’’ he said.

Director of National Orientation Agency (NOA) in Enugu state, Mr. Isaac Onukwuba, applauded INEC in all respect in the conduct of the elections, saying that the commission put in place a lot of efforts, time and money to ensure the successful conduct of the election in the state.

Onukwuba however, said that the people of the state did not show the much expected interest in the elections, adding that the voters’ turnout was very low given a population of 1.9 million registered voters.