Barely 24 hours to November 6, 2021, Anambra governorship election, an Independent election observer of Nigeria civil society situation room, Ene Obi, has tasked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to urgently deploy its staff to all the designated centres to enable the newly registered voters to get their Permanent Voters Card (PVC), before the commencement of voting on Saturday morning.
The group noted that, if urgent attention is not given between now and 8 am on Saturday morning, it will disfranchise thousands of voters.
Addressing newsmen in Awka, on Friday, the convener of the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, Ene Obi, said the call came, following the information the group gathered from people who are willing and ready to exercise their right across the 21 local government areas.
According to her, despite the prevailing challenges, we commend the people of Anambra for their commitment to the democratic process in the State. We note the efforts of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct the election. We also acknowledge the efforts of the security agencies to maintain law and order.
Situation Room is counting on the assurances of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Police Force that they are fully prepared for the election, with INEC assuring that logistics and deployment are fully under its control and the Police assuring that it will keep the security situation under check. Situation Room will work with her over 70 partners and networks to observe the election and receive reports from across the 21 local government areas of the State.
She however, explains that the early activities embarked by INEC on the expansion of voter access to polling units, under which new polling units were created, as well as the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise were stalled by sit-at-home orders in the South East and pockets of violence in Anambra State.
She urges registered voters to take advantage of the public holiday in the State today, to go out en masse and collect their PVCs.
Meanwhile, the Yiaga Africa Watching the Vote (WTV) has so far released four reports on the Anambra 2021 pre-election environment.
Speaking to Journalists in Awka, the Executive Director, Yiaga Africa Watching the Vote (WTV), Ezenwa Nwagwu, said the findings from its observation periods reveal an upward trend in the preparatory activities by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and a shift in the level of voter education and information campaigns.
The WTV findings also revealed that the campaigns have been dominated by three political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC), All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Violent attacks, political intimidation, violent enforcement of the sit-at-home order and threats to shut down the region by secessionist groups remain a consistent trend. This volatility impeded the conduct of political party campaigns, voter education and mobilization by electoral stakeholders who continue to deploy with more caution.
He also revealed that in Anambra East, Ogbaru LGA, Nnewi North, Orumba North and Ihiala are considered potential hotspots for violence based on early warning signs of violence.
“Yiaga Africa notes that there may likely be a further decline in voter turnout in the state due to the threat of violence and a pervasive culture of voter apathy in the state. Low voter turnout enhances the chances for electoral manipulation in the rural areas and strongholds of the major political parties.
Nwagwu, commend INEC for the newly introduced Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), a replacement to the Smart Card Reader, noting that the BVAS has a dual capacity for fingerprint authentication and facial recognition.
Also, the Executive Director, Inclusive Friends Association and the Convener of the Access Nigeria Campaign, Grace Jerry, on her part, calls on all Persons With Disabilities (PWD), that are registered to vote and have their PVCs to go out en masse and vote for the candidate of their choice.
She calls on INEC to stand by their commitment of providing the Braille ballot guide during Saturday’s guber election. And also to use Form EC40H to capture disaggregated data of PWDs voting on election day in line with their type of disabilities.
She equally calls on the media to focus on how PWDs are faring as they report on the Governorship election.
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