We’ll use 6,200 card readers for Anambra guber poll -INEC
Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, said onTuesday that 6, 200 card readers will be deployed for use in the November 18 governorship election in Anambra State in which 37 political parties are fielding candidates..
The Chairman of the Commission, Professor Mahmood Yakubu disclosed this at a quarterly consultative meeting with the media in Abuja.
Yakubu explained that 5, 200 out of the card readers have already been tested, while the remaining 1000 will equally undergo same process before the poll.
The INEC Chairman, who is a Professor of History, pointed out that necessary arrangements have been made by the Commission to ensure that the governorship election is free, fair, transparently credible and hitch free.
He expressed the firm optimism that the governor who will be elected during the poll will, for the very first time, emerge through the first balloting.
According to him, “INEC will ensure that the Anambra State governorship election will be free and fair. The people of Anambra State will determine who their governor is on the 18th of November 2017.
“We are ready for the Anambra election. we are are determined to ensure that the Anambra election is concluded on first balloting. So, we are good to go in Anambra”, he said.
He assured that all new voters in the state will have their permanent voter cards, PVC, before the election, stressing that distribution of new PVCs will commence, at least, 30 days before the poll.
On the issue of security for the election, Prof Yakubu explained that necessary assurance have been gotten from the appropriate security agencies that everything will be done to ensure that the poll is hitch free, adding that all areas of flash points will be manned very well.
In addition to the governorship election, the INEC Chairman revealed that another election will also be conducted in Anambra State by INEC for the Idemili North State Constituency which became vacant following the death of the occupant of the office.
Speaking about the 2019 general elections, which is slightly over 500 days to come, Professor Yakubu said that the strategic plan for the election has been concluded, stressing that what the commission is currently working on now is the election project plan.
He listed the election project plan to include the election budget, adding that it is only when the arrangement on this (election project plan) is concluded that the actual cost of the 2019 general election will be known.
The INEC Chairman further disclosed that it has commenced preparations for gubernatorial elections in Ekiti and Osun state coming up next year.
The Commission, he said, would release the timetable for the two governorship elections this week Thursday.
