Anambra party chairmen, journalists kick over electoral material inspection

AVarious party chairmen and journalists who were at the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Awka, on Thursday, were left stranded as the state Resident Electoral Commission, Dr Queen Agwu, refused to attend to their enquiries.

The party chairmen and the media men had wanted to observe the movement of electoral materials from the Central Bank of Nigeria, Awka, but were shut out.

The party chairmen and party agents who were spotted around 8 pm at the CBN office alleged that INEC loaded voting materials into trucks without them having the serial numbers for documentation.

Speaking to journalists, the state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Ndubisi Nwobu, described the attitude of the INEC officials as “very disappointing”, adding that the party agents wanted to know the details of the voting materials so they could communicate to their party officials to cross-check them when they arrive.

“We want to believe that the materials will not leave this night. We are hoping that by tomorrow morning, INEC will avail them of the serial number of the materials before leaving CBN,” Nwobu stated.

He, however, said they saw some of the INEC officials though it appeared they were very busy.

“We are hoping that tomorrow morning before the materials leave CBN, INEC officials will avail us with the serial numbers of various local government councils. It is already 8 pm,” he said.

The state chairman of Young Progressive Party, Prince Moses Obi, on his part, said they were surprised that INEC ignored them while loading the voting materials.

Obi said, “We were here to inspect the arrival and the leaving of INEC voting materials from the CBN for the Saturday elections. I am not happy with the process they adopted. INEC needs to avail us of the details of the serial numbers of materials to local government councils.”

Meanwhile, journalists who went to cover the distribution of the materials did not have access to the REC.

Less than 24 hours to the general elections, INEC in Anambra is yet to accredit journalists for the election.

The journalists who have been visiting the INEC office in Awka since Wednesday said that the commission kept giving excuses over their failure to distribute the accreditation tags.

The PUNCH observed that the Anambra INEC Public Relations Officer, Kingsley Agwu, and other officials of the commission have remained unperturbed as they kept tossing journalists around.

It was also observed that when the journalists visited the INEC office on Tuesday for the accreditation, they were told to check back on Wednesday (the following day).

A journalist who doesn’t want his name in print said, “It was the same story that was given again when we visited on Wednesday. We were told to check back on Thursday.

“None of the INEC officials offered cogent reasons. The PRO only told us that tags have not come and that they will soon come and until now we have not gotten any.”

However, journalists who gathered at the commission on Thursday for the tags left disappointed and angry as they were told that the accreditation tags were not ready.

Our correspondent gathered that journalists in other states have all been accredited and gotten their tags.