Uzodimma votes, lauds INEC’s BVAS initiative

Uzodimma commended the commission in an interview with newsmen shortly after casting his vote at Ozuh Omuma ward 10, polling unit 010.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that INEC officials arrived at exactly 10:35am while voting commenced at 10:54am at the voting center.

The governor, who stormed the polling unit in company of his wife, Mrs Chioma Uzodimma, described the BVAS as “the best for now.”

“I came and within two-three minutes, I went through accreditation, collected my ballot papers and voted.

“My wife has done the same thing. I must commend the process.

“There’s a little bit of improvement and a departure from what we used to have to a more prudent and efficient thing. There’s no perfection here on earth. Only God that is perfect.

“I advise our people not to look for faults but to embrace change and innovations toward national development,” Uzodimma noted.

The governor blamed the voter apathy recorded in some Local Government Areas of the state on the insecurity problems.

“The people are still struggling with the memory of what happened here in the past.

“We are doing our best to erase the past and restore sanity to the area,” he said.

He explained that the delay in commencement of the electoral process and transportation of election materials in the state was due to logistics challenge.

“I am told that the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers were supposed to supply vehicles but they disappointed.

“So, INEC is struggling. We are also helping to intervene here and there to ensure that elections take place.

“I am happy that elections have started in many parts of the state,” he stressed.

In an interview, the Presiding officer, Mr Christian Igboanusi said the BVAS machine worked in good condition at the polling unit which had a total of 750 registered voters.

However, Igboanusi explained that the venue of his polling unit where Uzodimma voted was relocated from Migrant Farmers Children Primary School Ozuh Omuma to a space nearer to the governor’s country home.

He said the decision was to create easy access for the governor as a result of security threats in the area.

NAN recalls that Uzodimma’s country home in Omuma was razed by gunmen in 2021, after security operatives neutralised Ikonso, a commander of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who hailed from the same community as the governor.

NAN further reports that the area has been a part of the epicenter of insecurity challenges in Orlu Zone in the past three years.