ANAMBRA ELECTION: WILLIE OBIANO DECLARED WINNER

The All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Chief Willie Obiano, has
been declared winner of the governorship election in Anambra State.
The returning officer, Prof James Epoke said ...
Obiano satisfied all the
requirements of the law "and is hereby declared winner. "
Before yesterday's supplementary election conducted in 210 polling
units in 16 local councils across the state where the exercise was
cancelled during the November 16 exercise, Obiano was already coasting
home to victory, having scored the highest number of votes and
securing 25 per cent in 18 of the 21 local government areas of the
state.
The 16 local government areas where INEC conducted the supplementary
election are Aguata, Awka North, Awka South, Anambra East, Anambra
West, Ayamelum, Anaocha, Ekwusigo, Idemili North and Idemili South.
Others are Ihiala, Nnewi South, Onitsha North, Onitsha South, Orumba
North and Oyi.
Residents flout restriction order
ADHOC Staff wait for voters during the Governorship supplimentary
election at Chukwura Primary School II, Abatete in Idemili North LCA
Though there was restriction of movement in the affected areas, some
people were still doing their normal businesses and traffic was light
on the roads in all the areas.
Soldiers were stationed along all the roads leading to Idemili North
local government area and Onitsha South local government area, which
had the highest number of polling units of 160 and 17 respectively
where the supplementary election took place.
APC, LP agents take part
Though the All Progressive Congress, APC, the Labour Party, LP, and
the campaign organization of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,
candidate, Comrade Tony Nwoye, said they would not participate in the
exercise, their agents were seen in many polling units. However, while
APGA and PDP agents wore tags, those who claimed to be APC agents did
not wear their tags. At Abatete in Idemili north, agents of the PDP
and LP were at the polling units.
Voters' apathy
In all the polling units where the supplementary polls took place
yesterday, there was very low turnout of voters and heavy presence of
security operatives.
In most polling units visited by Sunday Vanguard, electoral officials
and sensitive electoral materials arrived early. But, despite the
early arrival of these materials, the number of eligible voters, who
came out for the accreditation exercise, was very low compared to the
turn-out during the November 16 and 17 elections.
Early results
At Zik Avenue, Onitsha polling units 8, 9 and 10, APGA scored 18
votes, APC – 8, while PDP polled 6. At polling unit 006, APC scored 9,
APGA got 26, while PDP scored 2.
REC commends Anambra voters, says there's no boycott
Despite the low turn out, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in
Rivers, Mr. Aniedi Ikoiwak, who supervised the election in Onitsha
South and Onitsha North council areas, commended the people of Anambra
for coming out to vote yesterday's supplementary governorship
election.
Ikoiwak spoke at Okija Hall where voting took place in four polling units.
APC out to cause mischief – PDP chairman
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in
Anambra State, Prince Ken Emeakayi, has accused the APC of causing
mischief and deceiving Nigerians.
Emeakayi spoke with journalists at Akpkogwe polling booth Ogidi ward 1
where he had gone to observe the supplementary election.
He said that despite APC's call on voters to boycott the election, the
party has agents in all the polling units.
INEC ignores Ubah's case
Meanwhile, the supplementary poll held, yesterday, in apparent
disregard of a case by the LP candidate in the November 16 election,
Dr Ifeanyi Ubah, seeking to stop it.
A letter by Ubah's lawyers, Olagoke Fakunle, SAN, and Co, to INEC
Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, dated November 29, 2013, notified
INEC about the case.
"You would have noticed that amongst the processes is a Motion on
Notice for interlocutory in juntion restraining you from conducting
any further election in Anambra State, with regard to the office of
the Governor of the State, until the court has had an opportunity to
review the legality of your pre-election processes towards that
election", the letter said.
"It was for the reason of the urgency and importance of this action
that the Federal High Court, on 28th November 2013, made an order to
abridge the time within which you and other Defendants may file your
responses to both the application for injunction and the originating
summons. The court also granted accelerated hearing of the matter by
adjourning the hearing to 9th December, 2013.
"We therefore hereby demand that you postpone the proposed
supplementary election for the Governor of Anambra state to avoid a
situation whereby you would have foisted a fait accompli on the court
and the court in response will therefore be constrained to void
everything you have done including the outcome of the proposed
supplementary election, with attendant waste of national resources.
"The appropriate thing for you to do at this stage, therefore, is to
enter appearance and file your responses to the processes you have
been served with and await the court's determination of the illegality
or otherwise of the pre-election process leading to your decision to
hold a supplementary election for the Governor of Anambra State,
before you continue with any further plans for the conduct of any
election of the Governor of Anambra State."

*Vanguard