Dr John Paul Ani, chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Enugu State, said the local government elections being held across the state are proceeding peacefully in his own constituency, but he alleged that party officials were barred from accessing council headquarters in several other areas. Ani made the comments after casting his ballot in Ward 2, Unit 001, Town Hall, Nkanu West Local Government Area.
Speaking to journalists, Ani praised the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) for what he described as a “hitch‑free” exercise in his polling area. “My assessment of the process is that the process was peaceful, transparent and credible, the way I voted. I want to commend the commission, ENSIEC, for conducting such a hitch‑free exercise,” he said.
However, the NDC chairman said the party has received reports from chairmen and officials in Nri, Oji River and Ezeagu Local Government Areas that ENSIEC staff denied them entry to council headquarters where election materials were being distributed. By law, he noted, every political party is entitled to be present at those venues, but “our people were not allowed access,” he alleged.
Ani called on ENSIEC to investigate the allegations and hold any perpetrators accountable, urging the commission to demonstrate its independence and not be seen as an arm of the ruling APC. He added that the NDC has deployed agents to polling units, is monitoring the collation process at ward and local‑government levels, and will await the official result declaration. “We are confident that we will win this election at the end of the day because we have done a campaign. We have fielded credible candidates; we fielded people that understand what the masses want,” he said.
According to Ani, election materials have not yet reached some polling units in Oji River, Aninri and Ezeagu, while in Nkanu West “materials got into every polling unit in the local government.” He acknowledged that ENSIEC appears to be leading in some areas but stressed that the NDC remains confident in the constituencies where it fielded candidates.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
