Voting is underway in the rerun elections for the Orumba North/South Federal Constituency and Nnewi North/South/Ekwusigo Federal Constituency in Anambra State.
The rerun is being held in 16 polling units in Nanka, Orumba North Local Government Area, to determine the winner of the Orumba North and Orumba South federal constituency.
Additionally, five polling units in Nnewi, Nnewi North constituency, are conducting the rerun to determine the winners of Nnewi North, Nnewi South, and Ekwusigo federal constituencies.
The elections were necessitated by a Court of Appeal decision that annulled the previous results and ordered a rerun in response to grievances from aggrieved candidates. Voting commenced at around 9:20 am in most areas, with a notable and impressive voter turnout. Security was tight, with the presence of Army, Police, DSS, Civil Defence, and election observers to maintain law and order.
In Nnewi North, there are 97,438 registered voters in the affected polling units, while Orumba North has 161,914 registered voters. The People Democracy Party (PDP) candidate, Hon. Okwudili Ezenwankwo, expressed satisfaction with the voters’ behavior, praising their composure, after casting his vote at Okaa-agbiligba ward 1, polling unit 015 around 11:12 am.
Some voters, however, appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure a transparent announcement of the rerun’s true winner. They also urged INEC to extend the voting time until 4 pm, citing delays in the arrival of voting materials. Similar scenarios were reported in Nnewi North Local Government Area, where voting was still ongoing at the time of this report. The electorate remains hopeful for a fair and conclusive outcome in this rerun election.
