Emerging reports suggest that election materials and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission were still unavailable at various polling units in the Anambra governorship supplementary election in Ihiala Local Government Area as of noon.

The election which was supposed to commence at 10am and end at 4pm had not started as election materials had yet to leave the local government headquarters as of the time our correspondent filed this report.

An electoral officer on duty who craved anonymity said there were areas where electoral personnel refused to go to for security reasons.

The officer, who preferred anonymity, identified the area as Lilu, Isseke, Orsumoghu, Ubuluisiuzo, Mbosi and Azia.

The person said that development had escalated the situation in the area.

Also, an official of the National Youths Service Corps had alleged that some corps members who were made available for the election were being replaced by non corps members.

The official who refused to disclose its name, said the scheme deployed 1,000 corps to INEC for the Ihiala election but regretted that most of them were stranded and still loitering at the Secretariat.

It insisted that the trained corps members must be deployed and paid.

When contacted, CP Echeng Echeng, the Commissioner of Police in Anambra said that adequate security deployment had been made to ensure that the 2021 Anambra governorship supplementary election in Ihiala Local Government Area was hitch free.

Echeng who spoke at the Uzoakwa Headquarters of Ihiala while monitoring the situation said there was no cause for alarm.

“We have made our deployment, it is very robust and we are confident that we are going to conduct elections in every location that we are supposed to have elections in Ihiala today.

“We are not saying that there is no fear, there is fear everywhere as far as Anambra is concerned but we have had elections in 20 Local Government Areas, this is just one Local Government Area.

“With what we have on ground including the Police, Army, NSCDC, DSS and others, we are going to handle the situation,” he said.

NAN