The off-cycle Imo State Governorship Election, which took place on November 11, 2023, had a low voter turnout. This development was attributed to threats by some supporters of the ruling party in the State that forced people to stay indoors.
BusinessDay gathered that some youths in Owerri Municipal Thursday made an announcement and threatened supporters of other political parties to stay home or be attacked.
Some political parties also forced people at polling units to vote for their choice of candidates with money, and it was visibly done in Ward 4, Uzii Primary School, Owerri.
Some voters were given as little as ₦2000 to vote.
However, Frank Mba, a deputy inspector general of Police who supervised police deployment and operator the Imo Governorship election, described the alleged threats on voters as a rumour and promised that the Police would investigate the matter.
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In his words, “Elections in our clime are usually characterised by rumours, deliberate disinformation. Whenever you pick up information around this time, you need to fact check them thoroughly. You need to find out if the information is correct. And for us, we will investigate these claims.
“So, we have done our part, we have provided security, we have provided a level playing field, we have strike forces on patrol, quick response units, roving round the State, and so, we have done what we should do, but going forward, Nigerians should continue to strengthen our voter’s enlightenment and education processes, deepen them and sustain our democracy”, he stated.
