Benjamin Nworie in Abakaliki
There was high turnout of voters during the local government election across the 13 council areas in Ebonyi as all the political parties participated actively in the election.
The governor, Engr. David Umahi who arrived his Umunaga polling unit with the National Vice chairman of PDP south-east, Chief Austin Umahi voted by 01:11pm. Umahi congratulated Ebonyi people for the peaceful disposition during the election. The Governor, after casting his vote, described the local government election as free and fair and best local government election conducted by any state government across the country. He said he ensured that all due processes were followed during the preparation for the election.
Though electoral officers could not confirm any result as the results were being collated, information gathered at various polling centres indicated that the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) recorded overwhelming victories at local government and ward levels as at time of this report.
The governor said “I have maintained that PDP is Ebonyi state and Ebonyi state is PDP. However, we have been badly neglected. We are the last in federal election. Anything that concerns that dividend of democracy, Ebonyi state has always been the last. We want to be treated like other states. PDP did not benefit from the state government to stand for election.
“Other nine participating parties benefitted. Other political parties benefitted. And am not dong this with government money but from individual contributions from friends. I call all Ebonyians to join hands to make Ebonyi move. We are redefining our destinies”.
At the Onueke, the Ezza South local government headquarters, electoral materials arrived the distribution/collation centre at 9am where sensitive materials were distributed to various pooling centres and units before the accreditation which started alongside the voting.
Speaking at Onueke, the Ezza South chairman of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Chukwudi Nwankwo expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the election so far and said the party was upbeat for victory.
He said APC fielded candidates in all the wards across the local government areas as well as wards, adding that the party would hold Governor David Umahi responsible over any failure to maintain free and fair election.
At the Okofia polling unit 001, the State Commissioner for Works and Transport, Fidelis Nweze described the exercise as free and fair and added that the election met all international standards where the will of the electorate was respected.
Nweze also commended the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission, (EBSIEC) for the peaceful process of the election and urged all the participants in the election to maintain peace.
Member representing Ezza South/Ikwo federal constituency, Chief Laz Ogbee expressed optimism that PDP would sweep the polls across the state and maintained that the party would continue to consolidate on the already achieved victory of the party to deliver the state to PDP in 2019 general election.
Ogbee however described the election as peaceful and fair while commending all the opposition political parties participating in the election.
In Ishielu local government, the PDP Chairmanship candidate, Hon. Sunday Eze said the election was peaceful and hitch-free. He commended the people of the council for coming out en mass to vote.
