Polling Booths Found In Shrines & Forest In Anambra State

At the Shrine

The Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission, ANSIEC, said it has discovered polling booths in some shrines and forests in the state.

Speaking at the kickoff of the sensitization programme for the October 5, 2013 local government election in the state, acting chairman, Chief Sylvester Okonkwo described the development as worrisome especially with the council polls drawing close.
The polling booths were discovered in Nteje in Oyi local government area, Marine area of Onitsha North and Ogbaru local government area.

Mr. Okonkwo has said that the polling booths will be relocated before the election, which comes up on the 5th of October 2013.
“There is no way women and Christians can vote in shrines or evil forests. Such a thing cannot happen in Igbo land,” he said.

The ANSIEC boss pleaded with traditional rulers to assist the commission to look for good sites where the elections would take place in their domains.

Okonkwo announced that the ban on political campaign has been lifted, therefore candidates and political parties can begin to campaign openly for the election.
He also added that those who lost their voting cards during last year’s flood disaster in areas like Ayamelum, Ogbaru, Anambra East, Anambra West and other areas would vote during the election, provided their names appeared in the INEC register.

The state coordinator of Movement for the Conduct of Local Government Elections, Comrade Osita Obi commended ANSIEC for listening to the yearnings of the people by fixing a date for the election and further charged aspirants to go to their wards and communities to continue the sensitization exercise because, according to him, local government election is going to be real this time.