The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it is ready for the conduct of the next Saturday, November 6, Anambra State governorship election.
Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, disclosed this at a special consultative meeting with political parties at the Commission’s Conference Room in Abuja on Friday.
Yakubu said INEC has moved all non-sensitive materials for the election to the 21 Local Government Areas of the State while the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is handling the delivery of sensitive materials to the State on schedule.
“Our State office in Awka is arranging for stakeholders to inspect the materials at the premises of the CBN in Awka. As is the case in all elections, the sensitive materials are moved under security escort to each Local Government Area from where they are distributed to the registration areas or wards and finally to Polling Units on Election Day”, he stated.
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The INEC chairman urged political parties to inform their Agents to be present for inspection of the materials at the CBN and to follow the movement of the materials to various locations.
Yakubu expressed hope that with just a few days to the Anambra election, any lingering grey areas will be discussed and addressed at the meeting, adding that the political parties would be briefed about the assurances INEC received from the security agencies and the outcome of its interactive meeting with the Joint Committee of the National Assembly.
“Three weeks ago, the commission published the register of voters for the Anambra Governorship election on 7th October 2021 i.e. 30 days to the election as required by law. Each of the 18 political parties was given a soft copy of the register. In addition to meeting the requirement of the law, the presentation of the register is significant for another reason.
“The Anambra Governorship election will be the first that voting is taking place in polling units since the recent successful conversion of voting points arising from the expansion of voter access to polling units in Nigeria. An additional 1,112 polling units were established in Anambra State in addition to the existing 4,608 locations. This brings the total number of polling units in the State to 5,720.
“Voters were encouraged to seize the opportunity of the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise to transfer to the new polling units most convenient for them. Many did not do so. This can be partly attributed to the security situation in the State which has affected the Commission’s pre-election outdoor activities, including voter education and sensitisation. Understandably, the voters have also been more circumspect in asking for transfer to polling units”, he said.
Yakubu said out of the 5,720 polling units in Anambra State, 86 (1.5percent) have no voters, hence the Commission will not be deploying personnel and materials to these polling units.
“Furthermore, 894 (15.6percent) of the polling units have between 1 and 49 voters. Elections will be held in these polling units. We will continue to work with all stakeholders to ensure that all Polling Units have voters allotted to them ahead of the 2023 general election.
“Meanwhile, in our avowed commitment to transparency, the Commission has compiled a comprehensive list of all the Polling Units without voters as well as those having under 50 registered voters. Copies of the list will be made available to all political parties at this meeting. The same document will also be uploaded to our website and social media platforms for public information.
“As required by law, we requested political parties to upload the names and other personal details of their Polling Agents to a dedicated portal at least two weeks before the election. These agents are your representatives at the polling units and the various collation centres.
“The deadline was 21st October 2021. While 17 out 18 political parties nominated their Polling Agents for all or a substantial number of the Polling Units and collation centres, one party failed to nominate a single agent for any Polling Unit or collation centre although it has a Governorship candidate and a running mate participating in the election”, he added.
In his remarks, Leonard Nzenwa, Inter-party Advisory Council (IPAC) chairman, expressed fears over the persistent insecurity in the state which may cause voter apathy as well as the spending spree by some candidates that portends vote-buying and called on INEC to ensure the credible outcome of the exercise.
“IPAC is not unmindful of the intense vicissitudes occurring in the polity with the upcoming polls in Anambra posing greater challenge to the Commission for which we have prevailed on our candidates to maintain the highest decorum and play by the rules and to ensure that their supporters conduct themselves responsibly and statesman like”, he said.
