Enugu LG poll: Houses burnt, many wounded

Enugu State Governor Sullivan Chime has expressed satisfaction with
the conduct of yesterday's local government elections in the state
even as reports from Isiuzo local government area said some houses
were burnt while some persons sustained machete cuts following a clash
between supporters of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and All
Progressive Grand Alliance, APGA.
The elections generally witnessed low turn out of voters in the 17
local government areas of the state as voters shunned the polls since
only the PDP had candidates.
The violence in Isiuzo and voters apathy notwithstanding, Chime said
the elections marked yet another milestone in the quest by the state
to entrench democracy and good governance at the grassroot level
Chime, speaking shortly after casting his vote at Premier School Udi,
said the conduct of the elections, the fourth since the inception of
his administration in 2007, were worthy of emulation.
He attributed the low turn out of voters to the fact all the
chairmanship and most of the councillorship candidates were running
unopposed.
Also speaking to reporters, the Country Director, World Youth Peace
Mission, Abuja, Chief Boniface Okafor, who was in Enugu with his team
to monitor the elections, observed that the exercise was free an fair.
Meanwhile, reports from Isiuzo said that violence erupted in the
council which had been under tension following an attempt by APGA to
stop the elections on account of alleged wrongful disqualification of
its chairmanship candidate.
It was learnt that some houses were burnt at Umualor ward while some
persons were wounded. Unconfirmed reports said the police made some
arrests.
At Ikem Umuaram polling centre, an APGA agent, who identified himself
as Monday, said he was asked by security agents, officials of Enugu
State Independent Electoral Commission, ENSIEC, and some PDP stalwarts
to disappear from the polling booth or would be dealth with.
He alleged that he watched how some suspected PDP members collected
electoral materials and zoomed off in a Mercedes Benz car and he
promptly called the FRCN phone-in programme monitoring the elections
to complain of the alleged move to rig the councillorship election
against the APGA candidate.
Meanwhile, the state chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Engr.
Vita Abba, has expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the local
government elections saying the process was transparent.