Anambra Poll: INEC Declares ‘No Facemask, No Voting’ Rule To Protesting Voters

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Saturday, November 6th, 2021

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The voters at Ward 9 Ezimezi in Amawbia, in the Awka South Local of Anambra State, have protested the ‘No facemask, No voting’ instruction by the presiding officer, Ahmed Abdilahi.

The voters who trooped out around 8:30 am to vote were asked to go back and bring their facemasks before they would be allowed to do so. Irked by that, a former Anambra state House of Assembly member, Chikodi Aghanya, described the instruction as ‘rubbish’.

He said, “We can’t take that instruction from you. This is rubbish. How can you ask these old people here to go back to their homes to go and bring facemasks before they will be allowed to vote? If you do that here you will see our true colour.”

Speaking about the situation, the Presiding Officer who is a National Youth Service Corps member said, “That was INEC instruction and we will obey it to the letter. We have hand sanitisers here. We have our facemasks on. They should go and have theirs. It’s a simple instruction they must obey.”

The Presiding Officer further mentioned that they were having network challenges to operate some of their tools.