•Voters check for their details in a polling unit
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is fully prepared to conduct a credible and transparent election as voters head to the polls in Anambra State today.
INEC’s Supervising National Commissioner, Ken Ukeagu, gave the assurance on the eve of the election during an interview on Channels Television last night, stressing that all logistics and technical arrangements had been finalised.
“The mandate is to go and give Nigerians, and Anambra people in particular, fair, credible and inclusive elections, and that is what we are going to do tomorrow,” he said.
The electoral commission has been under pressure to guarantee a smooth and credible process following challenges experienced in previous polls, including late arrival of materials, malfunctioning of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), and logistical delays.
However, Ukeagu dismissed concerns over possible glitches, saying materials and personnel will arrive early at the polling units.
“There will be no glitches, no technical problems. Materials will arrive early, men will arrive early at the polling units, and we are going to give Anambra people credible elections tomorrow,” he stated.
He also confirmed that INEC was prepared for a possible runoff, in line with electoral laws.
“We are preparing for a runoff. You know, as a Commission, it’s part of the law, where no candidate meets the requirement of the law, we will certainly go for a runoff,” Ukeagu added.
Anambra, one of Nigeria’s politically active southeastern states, has witnessed intense campaign activities in recent weeks, with security agencies and election observers also putting final touches to their preparations.
According to him, election materials have already been distributed to Registration Area Centres (RACs) across the state, with vehicles and personnel on standby.
“The materials are already at the RACs. We moved them to the local government areas yesterday. Most of the RACs have been activated. Vehicles have been delivered, and we are set. Tomorrow morning, we will just move them to the polling units and wait for the Anambra people to come and vote.”
INEC had earlier deployed both sensitive and non-sensitive materials to local government areas and activated Registration Area Centres (RACs) to ensure early deployment of officials and materials on election day.
