Anambra poll: The D -Day is here: *As attention shifts to 5845 polling units

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By Madu Obi

Attention has shifted to the 5,845 polling units across the 21 local government areas of Anambra State, as 15 governorship candidates challenge the incumbent governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo at the polls.

Following Anambra government's declaration of Friday a work-free day for civil servants ahead of the governorship election, there has been massive movement to the hinterland by those who registered to vote in their communities, especially as movement has been restricted on Saturday.

The state Head of Service, Mrs Theodora Igwegbe, had said in a statement that the work-free day was approved by Gov. Chukwuma Soludo to enable civil servants to travel to their respective locations where they registered to participate in the election.

She said that apart from encouraging the state workforce to participate effectively in the electoral process, it would enable civil servants to participate in the electoral process and contribute to good governance and democracy.

Already, all political appointees, permanent secretaries, and heads of ministries, departments, and agencies were directed to coordinate their staff to ensure full compliance.

In another statement, the Anambra State government called on all eligible voters across the state to actively participate in the gubernatorial election.

Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor said government emphasized that full voter participation is a fundamental expression of civic responsibility and a vital demonstration of commitment to democratic governance.

"Active participation in this election is particularly important to reverse the low voter turnout recorded during the 2021 governorship election, when only about 200,000 of the over 2.7 million registered voters exercised their franchise.

"As the Light of the Nation, Anambra has consistently taken the lead. Ndi Anambra should therefore, once again lead by example by turning out in large numbers to vote peacefully and responsibly," Mefor said.

Meanwhile, election observers have scored Anambra State and the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, high on the preparation for the polls.

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, who spoke in Awka, said over 350 observers were deployed across the 21 local government areas of the state, to observe the level of preparedness of all the key actors in the electoral system.

The groups said they were satisfied with the readiness of all the stakeholders involved in the election, adding that they would not only monitor the conduct of the election, but would also observe the conduct of the people after the election.

The coalition commended the timely distribution of non-sensitive electoral materials by the INEC, noting that the transparency with which the exercise was conducted showed their readiness to conduct free, fair and credible exercise.

It also 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.

Part of the coalition's statement read: "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.

“Security agencies should provide robust protection for voters, election officials, and materials and should also ensure strict enforcement of movement restrictions on Election Day.

We call on security agencies to conduct clearance operations in the identified flashpoints and maintain robust presence in these areas to neutralize threats and apprehend potential troublemakers to forestall any security breach."

The political environment in Anambra State remains largely peaceful and conducive for credible, free, and fair election.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 coalition urged the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and other security agencies to fight against vote-buying, which, it noted, 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.”, the coalition said.