Enugu LG Poll: Massive Turnout, Peaceful Voting in Enugu South

….As Ani, Ogbodo applaud Peaceful Conduct of election 

By Venica Uchechukwu, Enugu

The Enugu State Commissioner for Local Government Affairs, Deacon Okey Ogbodo, and the Chairman of Enugu South Local Government Area, Mr Caleb Ani, have commended the peaceful conduct of the ongoing local government election in the area.

The duo gave the commendation on Saturday when they visited polling units in Amechi wards to monitor the exercise, expressing satisfaction with the turnout of voters and the orderly conduct of the election.

Ogbodo described the election as peaceful and credible, noting that voters had turned out in large numbers to exercise their franchise without any major incident.

According to him, “The turnout is there for every person. The election is very credible and the turnout is very massive.

“The voters are very supportive. 

There don’t seem to be any problem anywhere. I have gone around, particularly in our local areas and all the wards, and discovered that it is very peaceful and very credible.”

The commissioner said the peaceful conduct of the election was an indication of growing democratic awareness among the people, stressing that citizens were increasingly becoming conscious of their rights and responsibilities in the electoral process.

He added that the exercise would serve as a test for the two forthcoming elections, describing the development as a positive sign for the country’s democratic process.

“Like I said earlier during one of my interviews with journalists, this is a test of what is going to happen in the next two elections which we are waiting for.

“It is a very good sign of the democratization that is taking place. Our people are becoming aware and they know what to do.

“Democracy is no longer nascent. Our people are becoming aware and they have a good understanding of where we are and what to do. I think it is a very good one and it is commendable,” Ogbodo said.

Also speaking with journalists, Ani said the large turnout of voters demonstrated the people’s interest in the electoral process and the affairs of governance at the grassroots.

He attributed the turnout to what he described as growing enthusiasm among residents, as well as the activities of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the federal, state and local government levels.

“I can tell you that what you are seeing here today is a show of love from our people because of the activities of the APC in Enugu State, 

“And what we are doing at the local level, courtesy of His Excellency, the Governor, I can tell you that this exercise is going on in all the 13 wards and 321 polling units of Enugu South Local Government Area.

“If you turn around, you can see that our people have come out en masses and the whole exercise is very peaceful,” he said.

Ani described the election as one of the most peaceful electoral exercises witnessed in the area in recent times.

He said the peaceful atmosphere reflected the enthusiasm of residents to participate in the democratic process,

while commending voters, electoral officials, security personnel and other stakeholders for contributing to the orderly conduct of the exercise.