… Says Results Will Be Announced Only in 5,718 Polling Units
By Mmaduabuchi Onwumelu
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reiterated its readiness to organise the freest, fairest, most transparent, and credible election in the History of the Commission in Anambra State, announcing that a total of 24,000 ad-hoc staff had been deployed to work during the election.
Addressing newsmen at the INEC Collation Centre, Awka, the INEC National Commissioner Supervising Anambra State and Chairman of Tenders Board Committee, Dr. Kenneth Ikeagu, disclosed that election could only take place in 5,718 Polling Units, even as he acknowledged that INEC had 5,720 confirmed Polling Units in Anambra State. He said that the affected two polling units had no registered voters.
‘The November 8 Anambra Governorship Election will be conducted in a total of 5,718 polling units across the state.
‘We have 5,720 polling units in Anambra State, but two of them are what we call zero polling units because they have no registered voters. Therefore, the election will take place in 5,718 polling units,’ Ikeagu stated.
The INEC National Commissioner assured all the eligible voters that the Commission had no security concerns, noting that continuous engagement with security agencies had yielded positive assurances.
‘We have been interfacing with security operatives, and they have assured us that there is no cause for alarm,’ he said.
Addressing areas previously affected by insecurity, such as Ihiala Local Government Area, he confirmed that voting would hold in all polling units this time, unlike in previous elections when voting was restricted to the council headquarters.
‘In Ihiala, during the last run-off election, we moved polling units to the council headquarters due to security concerns. But this time, the security agencies have assured us that they have taken control of those areas, meaning voting will take place in the regular polling units,’ he said.
He further explained that while security personnel would be stationed around polling areas, armed officers would not be deployed directly to polling units in line with international election standards.
‘Armed personnel will not be present at the polling units. However, they will be strategically located nearby to respond swiftly to any security issues,’ he stated.
On the mock accreditation exercise, Ikeagu said it was conducted to test the functionality of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the result upload process.
‘What we did today was a mock accreditation exercise using the BVAS for both voter accreditation and result upload. It was a test run of the entire process, and it was successful. Each polling unit will also have backup BVAS machines in case of any technical issues,’ he noted.
‘The Commissioner also disclosed that INEC had finalized logistics arrangements with the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) for the movement of election materials and personnel.
‘We have signed Memoranda of Understanding with transport unions, and they will be paid half of their fees upfront and the balance after the election. For riverine areas, we have made provisions for boats to ensure easy transportation of materials and personnel,’ Ikeagu added.
He further assured that sensitive election materials would be delivered 48 hours before the election day as part of INEC’s commitment to a transparent and credible process.
Earlier in the day, a delegation from the National headquarters, Abuja, of the Commission, including the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education, Mr Sam Olumekun; Professor Rhoda Gumus (National Commissioner and Chair of Planning, Monitoring & Strategy Committee); Dr Baba Bila (National Commissioner and Chairman of Electoral Operations and Logistics Committee); and Dr Kenneth Ikeagu (National Commissioner supervising Anambra and Chairman, Tenders Board Committee) toured some areas where mock exercises were held in Anambra State and expressed satisfaction with the level of preparedness demonstrated by INEC officials, as well as commended the positive feedback from the voters who participated.
