…Says Plan Is To Witch Hunt Peter Obi
By Godwin-Maria Utuedoye
Eligible voters in Ughelli town, headquarters of Ughelli North Local Government Area, has lamented the delay in arrival of voting materials and the malfunctioning of BVAS machine which has made voting to commenced very late.
They accused INEC and politicians of deliberately delaying the arrival of voting materials in order to disenfranchised them from exercising their legitimate right.
As at 12:30pm voting has not commenced at Unit 3 in Otovwodo Primary School. While at Amekpa, Iwhreko, Post Office road and other units also lamented that voting materials arrived at about 1pm while the BVAS machine fail to on.
Those who spoke to our correspondent pointed accusing fingers at the ruling PDP, noting that they knew the fact that majority of the people will vote against the party, hence, the ploy to disenfranchise them.
“You could see how they are chasing people from the polling unit, a voter at Otovowodo Primary School Unit 3 alarmed.
“They said only those above 60 years should be allowed in to vote, why, she queried again”.
Further investigation also revealed that in an attempt to manipulate the system at all cost, a notable PDP leader in the Unit also made efforts to discouraged eligible voters to the extent of threatening to beat up married women whom he noticed was not ready to do his bidding.
Meanwhile, some eligible voters who talked to news men alleged that there are BVAS which have been deplored to a house of PDP Chieftain in Ughelli where those whose PVC’S was collected for a sum of money will go and vote for the PDP.
They also alleged that men of the Nigeria Police attached to the Unit 3 in Otovowodo Primary School, seems to be working with a particular party to outsmart the system. They said out of over 500 eligible voters, only about 70 persons voted as at 2:20pm. A situation they frowned on, calling on relevant authority to do the right thing by allowing everyone to vote his or her conscience.
A Unit at the Oharisi Street in Ughelli was later canceled as the House of Representative ballot papers was not seen and others brought are incomplete. Irked by the late arrival of the materials and the shortages, angry youths pounced on the officials and tour all ballots paper leading to the cancelation of the voting in the unit. Other areas visited, the story was the same as they lament the late arrival of materials and malfunctioning BVAS.