Kenechukwu Ofomah
Awka
Ahead of the 2025 Off-Cycle Anambra State Gubernatorial
Election scheduled for Saturday 8th November, a coalition of INEC-accredited
observer groups for credible and transparent elections has ranked Anambra high
in terms of preparedness for the exercise.
The coalition’s rating came during a press briefing on Thursday, on the forthcoming Anambra State Gubernatorial Election.
Their position emanated from the response of over 350
observers deployed across the 21 Local Government Areas of the state, who are
currently observing the level of preparedness of all the key actors in the
electoral system and their subsequent conduct during and after the upcoming
election.
The coordinator, Grassroot Development Centre for Peace and
Social Justice, Augustine Okafor, and the Chairman, Initiative for Promotion
and Civic Obligation for Sustainable Peace, Sarki Danjuma, spoke on behalf of
the coalition during the press briefing in Awka.
On the electoral umpire, the coalition said the Independent
National Electoral Commission, INEC, has so far, demonstrated commendable
preparation and organizational efficiency in the discharge of its
responsibility leading to the November 8 gubernatorial election.
It recalled that the INEC had published the official
election timetable and guidelines and issued statutory notices on time, in line
with section 28 of the Electoral Act, 2022, as well as conducted Continuous
Voter Registration and PVC Collection.
The coalition further commended the timely distribution of
the sensitive and non-sensitive electoral materials by the INEC, adding that
the transparency with which the exercise was conducted shows their readiness to
conduct a free, fair and credible exercise.
The group appreciated the security agencies in the state, as
well as the state government, for intensifying efforts to reclaim areas that
were hitherto under the control of criminals, applauding the Inspector General
of Police, Kayode Egbetokun and other heads of security under the Inter-Agency
Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), for the deployment of over
60,000 security personnel across the State to ensure adequate security for the
election.
“The political environment in Anambra State remains largely
peaceful and conducive for credible, free, and fair elections.
“Our observers have reported no significant incident of
political thuggery or violence during campaign activities.
“There is level playing field, and the insistence by INEC
and the security agencies against the ‘use of incumbency power to the advantage
or disadvantage of any political party or candidate,’ as prohibited by the
constitution and the Electoral Act, 2022, is enhancing voter confidence and
discouraging voter apathy,” the group said.
The observers called on INEC to continue to ensure
neutrality, impartiality, and strict adherence to the provisions of the
constitution and the electoral Act, 2022, and regulations and guidelines for
the conduct of elections in Nigeria
It said, “Notwithstanding the mock test earlier conducted,
it is imperative to deploy sufficient and functional Bimodal Voter
Accreditation System (BVAS) machines for speedy authentication of voters,
ensure the electronic transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal
(IReV) to prevent manipulation of election
“We call on security agencies to conduct clearance
operations in the identified flashpoints mentioned earlier and maintain robust
presence in these areas to neutralize threats and apprehend potential
troublemakers to forestall any security breach.
“Security agencies should provide robust protection for
voters, election officials, and materials and should also ensure strict
enforcement of movement restrictions on Election Day.
“Political actors should respect the peace accord and
maintain issue-based engagement. They must demonstrate maturity, tolerance, and
discipline throughout the process. Any form of violence, hate speech, should
not be tolerated, and severe sanctions should be melted out to violators.
“The security agencies and the Economic and Financial Crime
Commission (EFCC) should fight against vote-buying, which undermines democracy
and erodes public confidence in the process.
“The principle of One Man, One Vote should be adhered to: We
the Coalition of INEC Accredited Observer Groups for Credible and Transparent
Elections stand firmly for the principle of "one man, one vote" as
enshrined in Section 53(1) of the Electoral Act 2022, which states that
"no voter shall vote for more than one candidate or record more than one
vote." We vehemently oppose any attempts to undermine this fundamental
democratic Principle of our nation.”
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