The governorship and state houses of assembly elections are currently taking place today, Saturday 18th March 2023, across the 184 electoral wards of the seventeen local government area in Abia State.
This comes barely after two weeks after the presidential and national assembly elections across Nigeria.
DAILY POST correspondent who is currently on a monitoring tour in some parts of Abia State reports that soldiers of the Nigerian military are seen manning major strategic roads, such as Ikot Ekpene by BCA road junction, Abia tower roundabout located along mission hill by Aba-Enugu-Port Harcourt expressway, Aba road/Post office road junction in Umuahia, the state capital.
Locations and streets within Abia State, our correspondent reports have men of Nigerian Police stationed in them and at designated polling units to ensure peaceful conduct of the elections and forestall any breakdown of law and order by hoodlums.
DAILY POST correspondent also visited the INEC designated polling units or centres across various local wards in Abia State, reports that at polling unit 001 and 002 in Ugba Primary school in Umuahia north local government area, accreditation of eligible voters by Independent National Electoral Commission adhoc staff commenced as early as 8am while proper voting commenced by 10:30am.
Voters were seen queueing to exercise their franchise.
The current representative of Abia central senatorial district at the national assembly and former Governor of Abia State, Theodore Ahamefule Orji, flanked by wife, Mercy cast their votes in the 001 and 002 polling units at Ugba Primary School, Bende road in Umuahia.
Also, at polling unit 016 at Etitiama Nkporo in Ohafia local government area, voting started about 9:41am.
At 016 polling unit at Etitiama Nkporo in Ohafia local government area, the Deputy Governor of Abia State, Ude Oko Chukwu and wife, Vivian, cast their votes.
However, the transition committee chairman of Ohafia local government area of Abia State, O’Brien Iroh while speaking to journalists said adequate logistics were put in place to ensure the electorates cast their votes under a peaceful atmosphere.
He urged the youths of Ohafia local government area to eschew violence at all costs while waiting for the outcome of the election results.
Meanwhile, at exactly 9:05am voting commenced at polling unit 04 in Umule hall in Osisioma Ngwa local government area in Abia south senatorial district in Abia State on Saturday, after the conclusion of accreditation of eligible voters.
Baring his mind on the ongoing governorship and state house of assembly elections across the state, Onyebuchi Ememanka, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Abia State, commended the preparedness of the Independent National Electoral Commission which ensured the early commencement of polls.
He said in a terse statement, “may we have peaceful elections today and may the will of God prevail upon our land”.
Abia 2023: Early voting in units as security operatives man strategic locations
