Residents in some polling units have lamented the late arrival of election materials in the ongoing Local Government elections in Cross River State.
Party officials and agents were seen lamenting and questioning the process of elections and materials distribution as they alleged deliberate foreplay by their opponents.
Our correspondent who monitored the exercise disclosed that Ward 3, Unit 21 Hope of Glory was without voting materials at about 9:19 am.
At Unit 019, Ward 4, materials did not arrive as of 10 am. At Unit 020, no materials were available at 9:52 am at Old Ikang. Unit 006, Ward 4 Ediba Primary School voting had commenced, the unit has a voting strength of 750 and had recorded only 2 votes between 8 am and 10:15 am, according to officials on the ground.
Unit 0-21 Calabar Municipality had no materials, and neither had voting commenced as of 10:51 am. The All Progressives Congress APC agent, Offiong Etta, said, “Materials are on the way, we’ve called them. You know the units are many, ours are still coming.”
Meanwhile, security agents and other officials decried the slow pace of the process and alleged fears of manipulation.
At unit 008 Ward 4, Calabar municipal, voting was delayed as of 10:15 am. At unit 9, by Fidelity Bank, materials were nowhere to be found as of 11:12 am.
One of the voters; Ofafu Peter, said, “I have been disenfranchised. I went to my unit to vote at 7: am. As I am here now. I am going home, no materials to vote.”
Also, another voter who identified as Mrs Ndifreke Joy, said, “We have over 400 voters here, but we have been disenfranchised. They said they’ve sent materials, but we don’t know where the materials are and it’s almost 12 o’clock.
The same absence of materials was experienced at Unit 024 and Ward 4. At 11: 42am, materials were not in sight. Mr. Bassey Effiong and Mrs Mbang Edem Orok at Ward 6 and Calabar-South, said they were still expecting materials at almost 12 pm. Meanwhile, in Ward 2, units 1 and 3, Calabar-South, voting was going on smoothly.
