Enugu Voters Protest Missing Result Sheets

There’s growing unrest in the Imufu community, Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State, as voters voice their concerns over the absence of election results from five polling units.

These units collectively house over 6,000 voters, raising significant worries about the integrity of the re-run elections held today.

Reports from The PUNCH highlight a palpable sense of anticipation mixed with frustration among the electorate due to delayed electoral materials and missing results sheets in key polling units.

Despite previous affirmations from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) regarding its preparedness for the elections, materials failed to reach several polling units by the scheduled start time of 10:30 am.

In a perplexing turn of events, when materials finally arrived at some locations, they were without the critical results sheets, particularly in polling areas with substantial voter populations.

The absence of results sheets was notably severe in Umuitodo Ward 3, affecting Polling Unit 010 in Okpaligbo, Polling Units 003, 004, and 005 at Central Primary School Imufu, and the Umu-Osia polling unit.

This oversight has sparked fears of disenfranchisement among voters and raised questions about the election’s fairness.

William Itodo, the local government chairman and a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), previously experienced a loss in his polling unit to the Labour Party during the 2023 general elections.

A community leader, Emeka Madu who spoke with the platform said, “My people are currently revolting, and they have resolved not to vote until the results sheets are provided. The police arrested POs and took them to their stations to question them about the missing results sheets for the polling units.

“In Umu-Osia, like in Imufu, the people said that they are not voting until INEC officials provide result sheets. The electorate are not voting because they said the INEC came without results sheets. At the CPS Imufu, police arrested INEC polling officers and took them to their stations to know why they came without results sheets.As we speak, election has not started.”