Enugu residents on Saturday openly confronted and booed President Bola Tinubu’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, accusing him of storming a polling unit with thugs in a desperate attempt to rig votes in a constituency that is not even his.
In a video obtained by online, angry youths and voters could be heard shouting down the minister, telling him he had no business interfering in the electoral process.
“As a minister, you are not supposed to be here. You are not an agent. You don’t have any business here,” one voter screamed at Nnaji, as others echoed the chant.
The scene quickly escalated as the crowd, comprising adults and children, surrounded the minister and his entourage, forcing them out of the polling unit.
Witnesses told the media that Nnaji, derisively nicknamed “the Sleeping Minister” by some of his critics, arrived at the polling station with hired political thugs in an attempt to manipulate the process, but was disgraced out of Enugu South.
Reports online had also stated that the Enugu South Urban Constituency by-election on Saturday ended in chaos as voting failed to take place at Uwani Secondary School, the designated polling venue, despite a massive turnout of voters.
Although the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had deployed election materials to the centre, by 3:20 p.m., not a single ballot had been cast, forcing officials to shut down the process and pack up.
Voting could not commence earlier in the day due to the absence of sensitive materials, particularly result sheets.
The atmosphere later turned tense when a group of women stormed the venue in protest, accusing politicians of undue interference and demanding the disqualification of the Labour Party candidate.
They alleged that the candidate had, in July 2024, been convicted and sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment by an Enugu South Magistrates’ Court, presided over by E.D. Onwu, for allegedly mismanaging a N15 million community development fund.
Enugu State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Chukwuemeka Chukwu, decried the lack of progress and urged politicians to allow the process to conclude.
“This is the fourth time this by-election has been attempted without success. I am pleading with all stakeholders to behave responsibly and allow us to conclude this process. The people of Enugu deserve a fair election,” he said.
The Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Sam Ngene, expressed frustration over the delay, citing the presence of high-profile officials as a disruption.
“If you look properly, there is strong mobilisation for this election. The problem is the infiltration of influential figures like the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, and Senator Kevil Chukwu, who are interfering with the process,” he said.
“My opponent is behind bars. The constitution is clear: a convict cannot contest an election.”
Defending his presence, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, said he was acting in his capacity as APC leader in Enugu State.
“I have a right to be here because I am the leader of my party in the state,” he stated. “The PDP cannot win this election. If the election is not concluded today, we will stay here until it is.”
LP Chairman in Enugu South, Chinwuba Ngwu, also criticised the lack of progress.
“We have been here since 7 a.m. There is no accreditation, no voting, and no information from INEC. We are in the dark,” he said.
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