There’s a mix of feelings over today’s election by residents of the state. While some hailed the level of organisation, others expressed fears over the number of security officials drafted to monitor the exercise.

For instance, while the police had earlier deployed 45,000 men, the Force revised the exercise and increased it with an additional 10,000 men, bringing the total to 55,000 police officials in the state, aside from other sister agencies.

On Friday, several buses were spotted in Awka, the state capital, conveying police officers to their area of duty in the state.

Mrs. Catherine Egwu, who runs a restaurant at Udoka Estate, expressed worry with the amount of security presence in the state, saying it was creating fears in the people.

Egwu, who said she hails from Awka North and would vote in the election, stated that the security situation was better than what was witnessed four years ago in the state.

“Last four years, I did not vote due to fear. Remember that some Biafra agitators insisted there would be no election in the state. They did not lift the embargo until the eve of the election. By that time, some of us had lost interest in the process. For me, I did not believe them and so decided to stay away from the exercise.”

“But presently, the situation is better. We do not have threats against the election. Yes, there may be pockets of crimes such as kidnapping and armed robberies, as well as cultism, but they still do not measure what we had four years ago. ”

I tell you that before the election that brought in this current government in the state, some residents of Anambra relocated from the state to nearby places and refused to return until a new governor emerged due to the level of threats that came with it,” she stated.

Asked about her expectations from the election, she said she was convinced that it would be a peaceful exercise, but quickly added, “I am not voting because I have expectations. I am voting because it is part of my obligations. I attended some of the campaign rallies; I did not hear anything new than the usual improvement in our wellbeing which is not definite. If the level of effort they put into campaigns is put into governance, it will improve Anambra State.”

A hotelier, Sydney Obasi, told The Guardian at Amawbia that he was optimistic more people would vote in the election.

He added: “there is no change in our charges. What changed is the fact that the 40 rooms in my hotel are fully booked. Some booked for four days; others booked for three days. So, as I speak to you, there is no space anywhere for any new guests.

“It is unlike what we experienced four years ago when we had half of the rooms unoccupied. Most of my guests did not even show up at the end of the day, probably because they did not think that the election would hold

“This year, it is a different ball game. I am hopeful that more people will vote in the election because the atmosphere is more peaceful and calm than we experienced during the past election,” he added.

Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) for Anambra state, Tochukwu Ikenga, affirmed the commitment of the police to safeguarding the electoral process and protecting the citizen’s rights, even as he urged the public to remain law-abiding and to cooperate fully with the police.

He said that a Commissioner of Police had been assigned to each of the 21 local councils of the state, as well as other strategic senior officers to ensure maintenance of law and order in the state.

He stated that the Force had mobilised enough hands to ensure that the exercise was peaceful and that no section was denied the opportunity to vote.