Anambra election 2017: INEC Gives Latest Update, Whether Or Not, The Anambra Governorship Election Will Still Hold
The rumour that the forthcoming Anambra State Governorship election slated for Saturday, November 18, will not hold, following the ‘sit at home order’ given by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, is gathering momentum.
As of on Friday afternoon, IPOB members have been going round the State, threatening voters not to come out on Saturday and vote, in order not to meet their waterloo.
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“There is confusion here in Anambra. We do not know whether the election will hold or not, as many voters have vowed not to come out and vote”, a source told Gistlovers.
He added: “IPOB members have been going around telling Anambarians to boycott the election. We do not want to jeopardise our lives.
“In Awka, the State capital, there are events at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as workers commenced sorting and distribution of electoral materials to the Local Government Areas”, the source said.
Despite IPOB’s threat, INEC said the Commission has commenced the distribution of sensitive materials to the 21 Local Government Areas in Anambra State.
INEC’s Head of Voter Education and Publicity in the State, Mr. Leo Nkedife, made the disclosure while speaking with Journalists in Awka, the State capital.
Nkedife said the materials, including smart card readers, ballot papers and result sheets, had been collected from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, for onward distribution across the State.
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According to Nkedife: “About three weeks ago, we finished the distribution of non-sensitive materials to all the Local Government Areas, and today, we collected the sensitive materials from the Central Bank of Nigeria, and we shared them among the LGAs.
“Presently, some of the (electoral) Officers are loading, while some others are already on their way to their respective destinations. We are 99 percent ready to conduct the Anambra State Governorship election.
“We started giving out the materials first to those LGAs that are very far away, so that they will arrive earlier than the others. In the same vein, we have made provisions for riverine areas in Anambra West, Anambra East, and their environs.
“We have hired boats to enable them (INEC officials) to move, motorbikes and even bicycles, for all these special terrains. We have even granted them permission to move their materials ahead of others, so that they can get there on time, because some of them need to cross the river.
“The (INEC) Chairman’s word is that every polling booth must open by 8 am. We have also established Registration Area Centres, what we call RAC, in every ward. It is a kind of a mini-administrative office.
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“Our men and materials will sleep there on the eve of the election, so that it will be easy for them to trek to their respective polling units. We trained our members of staff; they are all very conversant with what they are expected to do.”
