By CHARLES IWUOHA

Osbourne Umahi, son of the Minister of Works, David Umahi, and the All Progressives Congress (APC) chairmanship candidate for Ohaozara Local Government Area, has commended the peaceful conduct of the Ebonyi State local government elections.

Osbourne Umahi spoke after casting his vote at his Onuofukulu polling unit in Umunaga, Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area.

He said he was satisfied with the conduct of the exercise, expressing optimism that the results would reflect the wishes of the people.

“I’m satisfied with the conduct of the election so far. I’m happy to see that everything has been peaceful,” Umahi said.

He added that he expected the peaceful atmosphere to continue until the conclusion of the electoral process and the collation of results.

Also speaking after voting at his Onu Borehole polling unit in Onicha Local Government Area, the Commissioner for Special Duties, Valentine Okike-Uzor, described participation in the election as a constitutional right.

Okike-Uzor, who said he voted for the APC, expressed confidence in the party’s victory and urged whoever emerged chairman to regard himself as the leader of all residents of the local government, irrespective of political affiliation.

“After today, the chairman becomes the chairman of everybody in the local government, not just one political party,” he said.

The commissioner also expressed confidence in the mobilisation of voters, saying the people were prepared to participate in the exercise. He dismissed suggestions of vote buying at his polling unit.

The Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Francis Ori, also commended the conduct of the election after voting at his Onuofukulu polling unit in Umunaga, Uburu, Ohaozara.

Ori thanked Governor Francis Nwifuru for what he described as the peaceful atmosphere in the state and commended the Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission (EBSIEC) for organising the election.

He said the turnout at the polling unit demonstrated the people’s interest in the electoral process and appreciation for the administration.

Senator Anthony Ani, representing Ebonyi South Senatorial District, also described the election as evidence of the state’s commitment to democracy.

Speaking after casting his vote in Onicha Local Government Area, Ani said Ebonyi remained peaceful and that adequate security measures had been put in place to ensure the smooth conduct of the election.

“Today’s election shows that we have embraced the principles of democracy,” he said.

On the debate over whether local government elections in the state should be held every two or four years, Ani said the duration was less important than the quality of governance provided by elected officials.

According to him, the key issue is for governments emerging from local elections to deliver the dividends of democracy to residents.

He said the frequency of elections should not overshadow the need for good governance and accountability.

The member representing Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Kama Nkemkanma, also expressed satisfaction with the voting process after casting his ballot in Ishiagu, Ivo Local Government Area.

Nkemkanma said the turnout observed across the areas he visited showed that residents were interested in local government administration.

“You can see that people are still coming out to vote. That means people are interested in what we’re doing. They are certainly interested in local government,” he said.

The lawmaker expressed confidence in an APC victory, while urging candidates in the election to focus on serving the people.

He also rejected the description of the election as a one-party contest, arguing that no political party or individual had been prevented from obtaining nomination forms and contesting.

According to him, the absence of strong opposition in some areas was not the fault of the APC, adding that candidates who wanted to contest were free to approach EBSIEC.

Nkemkanma further said elected officials should work within the structure of their political party and await appropriate direction on subsequent political activities.

The remarks by the politicians came amid reports of peaceful voting and voter turnout across various polling units in Ebonyi as residents participated in the local government elections.

Update news