Traditional Ruler Gives Reasons For Voter Apathy In Guber/State Assembly Elections In Rivers
His Royal Highness, Christopher Wonodi, Eze Mbam Abali XII, Rebisi Port Harcourt, has given assumptions on the part of many eligible voters as among possible reasons for the apparent low voter’s turn out that characterized the last Saturday’s gubernatorial and house of assembly elections in Rivers State.
He stated this in an interview with the National Network in Port Harcourt, while urging whoever emerges winner and losers of the yet to be announced election to accept the verdict, Eze Wonodi said assumptions and facts that held majority of eligible voters back were among others, the fear associated with heavy miltanization of the election, assumption based on the fact that the incumbent, Chief Ezenwo Onyesom Wike would win the contest and the fact that winners would emerge whether people go out to vote or not.
According to him, “seeing the army around, some people will tell others, don’t go they will shoot you. That is one. Two, even if you go to vote, your votes will not count. And some people who already have sympathy for the PDP or Wike will conclude that Wike has already won. Now, what is the need for voting again. The same thing goes for other political parties.”
He recalled that it was a free and fair atmosphere as he cast his vote in Port Harcourt Ward 1, unit 13. “My only fear was that there were not many people at the polling unit compared to the presidential election”.
On the controversial militarization of the elections he said: “That is killing the electoral process, the military should not be involved in voting. The police that used to provide security would come without guns, but the military have come with guns sitting around the place.
“The military put fears in the people. That will disrupt the electoral process. It’s not done anywhere in the whole world. In the US, the police stay away watching, they don’t come close to the polling units”.
He said so far the current administration of Barr. Nyesom Wike has done so well, adding that politicians should think of the people first in anything they do.
