Imo: Tension as Uzodinma, Achonu, Anyanwu scramble for 2.3 million votes

<p>As residents of Imo State file out for today’s election, there are fears that insecurity and loss of confidence in the electoral process might force eligible voters not to participate in the exercise.</p>, <p>DAILY POST reports that Imo has been facing activities of unknown gunmen and other non-state actors for over three years, a situation believed to be a major threat to today’s election.</p>, <p>The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it registered 2,419,922 persons for the election, out of which 2,318,919 have collected their PVCs.</p>, <p>Seventeen candidates are seeking to unseat the incumbent Governor, Hope Uzodinma of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, who is seeking a second term.</p>, <p>However, only two are viewed as real threats to his reelection.</p>, <p>Political analysts and development experts in the state have predicted how the incumbent governor and two other frontline candidates will share 2.3 million votes.</p>, <p>Prof Uche Amadi, a university lecturer, told DaiLY POST that the chances of voter apathy are high owing to two major factors: insecurity and a lack of trust in INEC.</p>, <p>He explained that there will certainly be voter apathy for two reasons: “the people may not want to risk their lives coming out to exercise their franchise, especially in crisis-ridden areas of Orsu, Orlu, Oru-east, Okigwe, Ehime-Mbano, etc., where several cases of killings, kidnappings, arson, and other vices have been recorded.”</p>, <p>He added that the people believe that the electoral umpire is compromised and will eventually do the bidding of the ruling party by declaring the APC winner of the election.</p>, <p>However, of the 17 gubernatorial candidates struggling for Imo State’s soul, the pendulum, according to the experts, is swinging towards Uzodinma, Senator Athan Achonu of Labour Party (LP) and Senator Samuel Anyanwu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).</p>, <p>Senator Achonu, the LP Governorship Candidate is considered by Imo residents as a strong contender in the rac