The. supplementary election in Idemili local government area of Anambra State was marked my low voters’ turn out even though election materials arrived early in most polling units.

Restriction of movement imposed by the police and Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, was shunned in Idemili North which has 160 polling units, the highest number in the rescheduled election, as residents went about their normal business activities.

The polls are being conducted in 210 polling units in 16 out of 21 local government areas of the state.

Most of the markets opened for business while vehicular movements were visible even with the presence of security personnel on the roads.

Voting materials were, however, ready while the electoral officials in most of the units arrived at their stations early in the morning with joint security operatives on hand to provide adequate security.

At Ogidi Town Hall 1 and 2, units 009, 010 and 021, only 45 voters were accredited out of 372 as at 11:30 a.m.

At Chukwura Primary School 1, polling Unit 006 in Abatete, in Qniocha local government area, 42 voters out of 382 that registered had been accredited as at noon.

Also, at Chukwura Primary School 2, polling unit 007, only 16 registered voters were accredited out of 123 as at noon.

At Nkpor Uno in Isingwu village, with three polling units of 983 registered voters, only 30 were accredited, while at Esther Obiako Estate in Awka South, with 249 registered voters, many complained that their names were missing from the voters’ register.

An observer with the Transition Monitoring Group, TMG, John Chukwuma, said that the voters’ apathy could be due to inadequate voter sensitisation in the area.

He, however, commended INEC, for its “timely mobilisation of materials and commencement of the exercise.”

However, there was peace and orderliness during the voting exercise which is expected to last till 4:00pm before counting and coalition of results commences.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; the Labour Party, LP and the All Progressives Congress, APC, had earlier announced plans to boycott the election.

The Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, also urged political parties to boycott the supplementary election “so as not to unwittingly legitimize an illegality”.