The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says arrangements have been concluded for the November 8 Anambra governorship election.
The INEC National Commissioner supervising Anambra and Chairman of the Tenders Board Committee, Dr. Kenneth Ikeagu, who made this known while briefing the Media on preparations made so far in view of forthcoming election, assured that every arrangements have been put in place to ensure a hitch free exercise.
He also assured that there will be no delay in the arrival of electoral materials at polling units, as according to him, both sensitive and non-sensitive materials are already produced and stored under secure conditions. He disclosed that all non-sensitive materials have been distributed to the local government offices, while sensitive materials such as ballot papers and result sheets will be delivered 48 hours before the election in line with the Commission’s standard protocol.On logistics,
Dr. Ikeagu said all arrangements have been finalized with the transport unions and vehicle owners to guarantee smooth deployment of personnel and materials, and also confirmed that sufficient vehicles (and boats for the riverine areas) have been secured for mobility,
Dr Ikeagu informed that the visit of the INEC national team to Anambra was part of the Commission’s preparedness for a successful election.He disclosed that upon arrival, the team had engaged in a series of pre-election activities, including monitoring of voter card collection, meeting with Electoral Officers, transport unions, and the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), as well as overseeing the mock accreditation exercise held across selected polling units.
He further revealed that, under the new arrangement, all drivers, security officers, and poll officials will spend the night before the election at the Registration Area Centres (RACs) to ensure early movement to the polling units by 7:00 a.m.
Ikeagu maintained that polling must begin at exactly 8:30 a.m., and that INEC will not tolerate any late arrival of officials or materials on election day.Answering questions from journalists on security, voter education, and Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection, the National Commissioner assured that the Commission was working closely with all security agencies to guarantee a peaceful and safe environment before, during, and after the election. He confirmed that security formations have already identified flashpoints across the state, and additional personnel will be drawn from neighbouring states to complement local deployments.
While acknowledging the improved security situation in Anambra compared to previous election cycles, the National Commissioner appealed to residents to maintain peace, avoid conflicts, and cooperate fully with security agencies to ensure a smooth process. “Security is everyone’s business,” he stressed, maintaining that citizens have an equal role in preventing actions that could disrupt the poll.On security concerns raised by the abduction of three INEC staff in Kogi State, Dr. Ikeagu clarified that the incident did not occur in Anambra and was not a targeted attack against the Commission’s personnel in particularly.
He described it as an unfortunate case of random highway kidnapping, adding that the security agencies are already handling the matter.
On voter education, the Commission admitted that more sensitization is still needed, especially at the grassroots, to reduce voter apathy and prevent misinformation. He called for increased media support in disseminating accurate information about INEC’s activities, emphasizing that voter enlightenment should be a shared responsibility among all stakeholders.
Dr. Ikeagu also confirmed that the distribution of new PVCs from the recently concluded Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise is ongoing across 326 designated collection centers in the state. He explained that card collection is strictly on individual basis and cannot be done by proxy, as voters must personally collect their cards by themselves to avoid manipulation. He further encouraged residents who have not collected theirs to do so before the deadline, which, according to him, remains 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 26, unless otherwise extended by the Commission’s National Headquarters.
On the Mock Accreditation, he said the exercise, held earlier in the day, was successful and confirmed the functionality of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices across all selected areas. He also revealed that transport providers had signed binding agreements with the Commission, and any breach of contract on election day would attract sanctions.Speaking on safety issues issue for journalists and ad-hoc staff, Dr. Ikeagu assured that the Commission is liaising with security agencies to guarantee the protection of all accredited media practitioners and election workers during the poll. He reaffirmed that all ad-hoc officials are covered by an insurance policy that provides compensation in the event of injury or death while on duty.
The Commission also dismissed fears of cancelling or postponing the election as any particular area or part of the state, declaring that voting will take place in all 5,720 polling units across the state, except two that have no registered voters.
The INEC National Commissioner affirmed that under the new Leadership of the new Chaiman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, INEC is fully determined to deliver free, fair, and credible election that will reflect the will of the people of Anambra State.
High -powered INEC officials who accompanied Dr Ikeagu during the press briefing include …1.The Hon National Commissioner-Mr Sam Olumekun, mni (Chairman Information & Voter Education Committee)
2. Prof Rhoda Gumus -(National Commissioner and Chair of Planning, Monitoring & Strategy Committee)
3. Dr Baba Bila (National Commissioner and Chairman of Electoral Operations and Logistics Committee) and
4. Anambra State Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, Queen Elizabeth Agwu.
