From Harry Awurumibe in Awka, Anambra
In less than 24 hours from today the attention of Nigerians at home and abroad will turn to Anambra state in the South East geo-political zone of the country as the people of Anambra go to polls to elect the successor to the incumbent Governor, Chief Willie MaduaburochukwuObiano whose tenure will terminate on March 17, 2022.
Specifically, Saturday, November 6, 2021 holds alot not only for the Anambrarians who will troop out en masse to vote in the Governorship Election, but for the entire nation as its success or failure will have a ripple effects on the 2023 General Elections.
Interestingly, the eyes of the world will not only be on the Anambra election to know who wins, the world will also like to see how free, fair and credible the election will be hence it is not only the electorates who are under scrutiny but everyone involved in the delivery of the election.
These are the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigerian security agencies and the political parties as well as other stakeholders like the Civil Society groups and the media.
But the success or failure of the Anambra governorship election tomorrow will large depend on the lead stakeholder, INEC who is constitutionally empowered to conduct elections in Nigeria.
Investigations have however revealed that as a responsible organisation, INEC has kept to its timetable of political activities leading to November 6, 2021.
For the avoidance of doubts, this INEC under the leadership of an erudite scholar, Professor Mahmood Yakubu had about 11 months ago, precisely on January 19, 2021 listed 14 activities which will happen to deliver a free, fair and credible election in Anambra state.
Luckily, inspite of some unseen circumstances which have occurred along the line, the Commission has delivered 13 items. The 13th being the end of campaign by political parties at 12 midnight on Thursday, November 5 and finally the 14th and the last item will start from 8:30am on Saturday, November 6 which is the election day for the people of Anambra state only.
INEC has diligently implemented every activity on schedule hence it is incumbent on Ndi Anambra (Anambra people) to come out in their numbers to vote tomorrow.
What else can be more reassuring than the INEC Chairman has at every fora promised that the Commission is ready to deliver on its mandate, adding that: “In our continuing determination to protect the integrity of the electoral process, I wish to remind political parties, candidates and their supporters that vote buying is illegal under our laws. Also, the ban on the use of smart phone or other photographic devices in the voting cubicles is still in force. The anti-graft agencies, who are members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), will deploy their personnel to arrest and prosecute violators”.
According to Yakubu: “On Saturday, November 6 2021, Anambra State will make history as the first Governorship election in Nigeria in which the Commission will deploy the Biometric Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) device. This new device replaces the Smart Card Reader (SCR) used in previous elections since 2015. We are satisfied with the pilot deployment of the BVAS in the Isoko South I State Constituency Bye-election in Delta State on 11th September 2021. The BVAS has the dual capacity for fingerprint and facial authentication of voters.
“This is to guard against voting by identity theft where one person uses another person’s Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) to vote using the incident form. With this development, the use of the incident form is abolished. No voter without a genuine PVC will vote. No voter who has not been successfully accredited electronically using the BVAS will vote”. He revealed that at the same time, the BVAS is also equipped with a camera; therefore, it has the capacity to snap Polling Unit level result and upload same to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal so that citizens can view results as election is concluded in each Polling Unit. Therefore, there is no need for the Z-Pad since its functions have been embedded in the BVAS.
“I am glad to report that all the BVAS required for the election on Saturday have been configured and delivered to Anambra State. Election duty staff have also been trained on the use of the device and we have sufficient technical staff to respond to any glitches that may occur”, he stated.
It is now left for the other stakeholders to equally play their roles especially the security agencies who have the statutory functions to keep the peace to ensure that voters are neither intimidated nor coerced to do the contrary on Saturday.
Already the Federal Government has mobilised enough security personnel drawn from the Nigerian Police Force (NPF), Army, Air Force and many Para-military agencies like Nigerian Civil and Security Defence Corps (NCSDC) to keep the peace in Anambra state.
Although the heavy deployment has been criticised by some people but the onus is now on the security agencies to prove their critics wrong by being professional and by ensuring that the process is not hijacked by hoodlums like Nigerians saw in Kogi state Governorship Election where ran amock despite the heavy deployment of personnel.
Beside the assurances given by INEC, the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) under the leadership of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Maj. General Babagana Monguno (Rtd); National Peace Committee (NPC) led former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar and Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah and the Election Stakeholders comprising INEC, traditional and religious leaders, candidates of the political parties and leaders of Civil Society Organisations (CSO) have been meeting regularly to review the work of INEC hence all are on the same page as it stands now.
All things being equal, one of the 18 Governorship Candidates will be declared winner latest on Sunday. All the contestants on Thursday in the presence of the world signed Election Peace Accord to accept the outcome of the November 6 Governorship Election.
However, Polls Forecasters are projecting that the candidates of “Big Five” political parties in Anambra state have better chances to win the election by the highest votes cast.
They are the ruling All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) flagbearer- Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo:Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Chief Valentine Ozigbo; All Progressive Congress (APC) torch-bearer, Senator Emmanuel Andy Ubah; Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) candidate, Dr. Obiora Okonkwo and Young Progressive Party (YPP) flagbearer, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah.
The 13 others have little or no chance at all to upstage the above listed first five parties and candidates to emerge winner of the November 6 Anambra state Governorship Election.
This is why all eyes are on Anambra and by extention on the INEC, Voters, Security Agencies and Observers just as the Local and International Media outlets have the tasking duty of covering the Anambra governorship election for the benefit of the society.
Let’s Go Out and Vote Anambrarians
