INEC assures of credible, hitch-free polls in Anambra

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reaffirmed its readiness to deliver a credible, transparent, and inclusive election as Anambra residents head to the polls on Saturday.

Ken Ukeagu, INEC’s Supervising National Commissioner, gave the assurance on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today. He said all logistics and technical arrangements had been concluded ahead of the exercise.

“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,” Ukeagu said.

INEC has faced mounting pressure to ensure a smooth process following setbacks in previous elections, including late arrival of materials, malfunctioning of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), and logistical delays.

However, Ukeagu dismissed fears of possible glitches, assuring that both materials and personnel would arrive early at 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 said.

He further disclosed that the Commission had made provisions for a possible runoff, in line with the Electoral Act.

“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,” he added.

Campaigns in Anambra have intensified in recent weeks, with security agencies and election observers also finalising their preparations.

According to Ukeagu, 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,” he explained.

INEC had earlier deployed both sensitive and non-sensitive materials to local government areas and activated RACs to guarantee the early deployment of officials and materials on election day.