The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has called on residents of Anambra State to reverse the trend of voter apathy by turning out in large numbers for Saturday’s governorship election.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, made the appeal during the commission’s election stakeholders’ meeting held in Abuja on Wednesday. He emphasised that the success of the election depends not only on INEC’s preparedness but also on citizens’ active participation.
“The greatest threat to democracy is indifference,” Amupitan said, urging voters to reject vote-buying and all forms of electoral malpractice. “Anyone who refuses to vote has no right to complain.”
The INEC chairman expressed concern that Anambra, once a vibrant political hub since the Second Republic, has witnessed a steady decline in voter turnout.
“Anambra should be among the leading states in voter participation, but recent statistics have been discouraging. We must change that narrative,” he said.
Amupitan called on religious leaders, traditional rulers, and civil society groups to help rekindle public confidence in the electoral process.
He disclosed that 2,802,790 voters were registered for the upcoming election following the completion of the voter registration and database clean-up. Of this figure, 140,370 were newly registered voters after removing 27,817 multiple entries.
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The INEC boss noted that only 63.9 per cent of registered voters have collected their Permanent Voter Cards prompting the commission to extend collection from October 29 to November 2. Uncollected PVCs, he said, are safely kept with the Central Bank of Nigeria until after the election.
To ensure inclusivity, Amupitan announced that INEC, in collaboration with TAFAfrica, would deploy sign language interpreters across polling units to assist the 3,456 registered voters with disabilities in the state.
He assured that the commission is fully prepared for the poll, with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System ready for use in voter authentication and electronic transmission of results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal.
To guarantee smooth logistics, INEC has hired 2,233 buses from the National Association of Transport Owners and the National Union of Road Transport Workers, as well as 83 boats from the Maritime Union Workers of Nigeria for the movement of election officials and materials.
“All polling units will open by 8:30 a.m. on November 8, with materials already in place,” Amupitan said, assuring that if any BVAS fails, voting in that area will be postponed.
INEC has also accredited 114 observer groups and 76 media organisations, deploying over 500 journalists for election coverage.
Supervising National Commissioner for Anambra, Dr. Ken Ukeagu, said 24,000 ad hoc staff will be deployed for the exercise, adding that the configuration of 6,879 BVAS devices has been completed, with 978 units reserved as backups.
“Sensitive materials will be delivered to the 21 local government areas by Thursday, November 6, under stakeholder supervision,” he said, assuring voters that the poll would reflect the people’s will.
In her remarks, the Resident Electoral Commissioner Dr. Elizabeth Agwu, encouraged residents to come out en masse to vote for candidates of their choice.
“Choose whom you want and come out to vote. INEC will announce the person you voted for,” she said.
