By Daniel Edu
The Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room has issued a report highlighting challenges observed during the governorship elections in Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi states, pointing to significant issues in the Imo election.
According to the statement released amid the ongoing governorship election, the Civil Society Organization (CSO) noted delays in the opening of polls across various units in Imo State.
Observers reported a substantial contrast in voter participation, with Kogi and Bayelsa experiencing high and early turnout, while Imo faced a low voter turnout at the beginning of the electoral process.
The CSO statement elaborated, “Situation Room observers reported that voters came out early in polling units visited in Kogi and Bayelsa States, while in Imo State, there appears to be low turnout at the commencement of poll.”
Furthermore, the report highlighted varying security situations across the three states. While Kogi and Bayelsa demonstrated an impressive security presence, Imo State fell short in this aspect, especially at the polling units under observation.
“Generally, there appears to be a good presence of security agents in polling units visited in Kogi and Bayelsa State as observers sighted security personnel in 92 percent of the polling units visited in Kogi State and 86 percent of polling units in Bayelsa State. In Imo State, security personnel were sighted in 47 percent of the polling units visited,” the report added.
Concerns had been raised by political analysts earlier, expressing apprehensions that the sit-at-home order issued by the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, Simon Ekpa, might contribute to low voter turnout and apathy in the Imo governorship election.
