By Chinedu Adonu
The National Deputy Chairman (South) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu State, Chief Ben Nwoye, has commended voters for their peaceful conduct during the ongoing Enugu North Senatorial District by-election, despite delays in the commencement of voting in some polling units.
Speaking with journalists after monitoring the exercise, Nwoye said he was satisfied with voter turnout and the generally peaceful atmosphere across the constituency.
“So far, people are coming out in their numbers to exercise their civic responsibility. APC members and supporters are participating actively, and everywhere I have visited has remained peaceful,” he said.
He, however, attributed the late arrival of electoral materials in some polling units to logistical challenges handled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
“No election is perfect. Delays in the commencement of voting are not entirely new in our electoral process. It is basically a logistics issue,” he said.
Nwoye noted that INEC was responsible for the distribution of election materials across difficult terrains in the Nsukka axis, adding that he observed the sorting and movement process the previous night.
“INEC is responsible for the distribution of election materials. Moving large volumes of materials from Enugu to various parts of Nsukka and then to individual polling centres is a huge task,” he stated.
He acknowledged that some polling units may start later than others due to terrain challenges but insisted that the priority was ensuring that voters eventually cast their ballots.
Nwoye also expressed concern over reports of technical glitches involving the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and network connectivity.
“At this stage of our electoral development, we should not still be talking about BVAS or network issues,” he said, adding that network disruptions appeared widespread in the Nsukka area.
He urged electoral authorities to ensure faster accreditation processes to reduce delays and improve voter experience.
The Enugu North Senatorial District by-election is being conducted to fill a vacant seat in the Senate, with observers monitoring the process across the six local government areas in the district.
