By Chinedu Adonu
The ongoing Enugu North Senatorial District by-election on Saturday experienced delays in several polling units due to the late arrival of electoral materials and inadequate deployment of election personnel.
At Amube Wards 1 and 2 in Ohom Orba Community, Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State, voter accreditation had not commenced as of 10:45 a.m. because election materials arrived only shortly before that time.
Speaking with journalists, the All Progressives Congress (APC) agent for Amube Ward 2, Mr. Christopher Ugwuowo, expressed concern over the delay, attributing it to the late distribution of materials from the collation centre and logistical challenges involving election officials.
Ugwuowo said officials and party agents encountered delays at the collation centre in Okpu Orba before materials were eventually dispatched to the affected polling units.
“When we got to the collation centre at Okpu Orba, we discovered that the materials arrived late. The electoral workers were also not efficient enough to move immediately, while the absence of some corps members further contributed to the delay,” he said.
The development left many voters waiting at the polling units and raised concerns about the smooth conduct of the by-election in the affected areas.
Election observers and other stakeholders have urged electoral authorities to address the logistical shortcomings to prevent eligible voters from being disenfranchised.
