Tensions flared in Enugu on Saturday as angry youths and voters openly confronted President Bola Tinubu’s Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, at a polling unit. The minister was accused of storming the area with thugs in a bid to influence the Enugu South Urban Constituency by-election, sparking outrage among residents.
Eyewitness videos from the scene captured the moment Nnaji was booed and shouted down by a furious crowd. Youths and community members could be heard telling him he had no business interfering in an election outside his constituency.
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The confrontation quickly escalated, with the crowd—made up of both adults and children—surrounding the minister and his entourage, forcing them to retreat from the polling unit in humiliation.
The by-election itself ended in turmoil, as voting failed to take place at the designated venue, Uwani Secondary School, despite a massive voter turnout. Although the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had deployed election materials to the centre, no ballots were cast by 3:20 p.m. due to the absence of key sensitive materials, particularly result sheets.
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Election officials eventually shut down the process and packed up, leaving frustrated voters without the chance to exercise their civic rights.
The incident has raised fresh concerns over electoral integrity and transparency in Nigeria, especially as accusations of interference by political elites continue to erode public trust in the democratic process. For many residents in Enugu, Saturday’s chaotic scenes reinforced long-standing frustrations with a system often marred by irregularities and power struggles.
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