As the result of the Anambra governorship election is being awaited, some of the candidates on Saturday expressed mixed feelings about the conduct of the poll.
In separate interviews after casting their votes, some of the governorship candidates condemned the election process while some took it in good faith.
In his reaction, Mr Ifeanyi Ubah, the candidate of the Labour Party, said in Otolo Nnewi Ward 1 that he had no reason to fault the election until the results were released.
“I am hopeful they will do well, for now, no complain,’’ he said.
Similarly, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Dr Willie Obianor, expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the election.
However, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Sen. Chris Ngige, accused INEC of betrayal by the “shoddy manner’’ it conducted the election.
Ngige accused the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Prof. Chukwuemeka Onukogu, of rigging, saying he single-handedly went to the Central Bank of Nigeria to collect the voting materials without party agents.
Ngige said the voters’ register given to the parties by INEC before the election was not the same with the one they saw in the election proper as some names were missing.
Ngige alleged that in areas considered to be his stronghold, voting materials were brought without result sheets, stating that he was still watching the situation.
He also said that in his ward in Alor community and other communities in Idemili North and Idemili South, accreditation was delayed to disenfranchise the people.
In his reaction, the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, Mr Tony Nwoye, said he was disappointed at the disappearance of his name from the voters’ register.
“I am disappointed at the turn of events here. I was here as early as 8 a.m. to be accredited with my father and uncle, but found out that our names were missing in the INEC register.
“I was an honourable member candidate for Anambra East and West in 2011 and I voted in this same polling unit.
“At which point did my name get missing from the register?’’ he queried.
Nwoye berated INEC for the mistake and wondered how the commission would perform in 2015, if it failed to get it right in a state election.
“The development does not augur well for the country since INEC cannot get it right in an isolated election,’’ he said.
The candidate, however, said he was sure of victory in spite of the shortcoming.
On his part, the candidate of the People’s Progressive Alliance, Mr Godwin Ezeemo, criticised the late start of accreditation in his area.
Ezeemo called on INEC to ensure that people were not disenfranchised by its own action.
