From Harry Awurumibe in Awka, Anambra
Like the Commander of a Battalion giving his troops last-minute instructions on how to win a battle, the Chairman of Independent National Electoral (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has urged staff of the Commission to do everything humanly possible
to ensure votes in Anambra Governorship Election count, declaring that despite the challenges faced by INEC, they must not allow their efforts to go in vain.
The INEC boss stated this in a message he penned for the INEC staff contained in a press statement on Friday where he stressed that so much preparation has gone into the election, therefore, every member of the Commission must remain vigilant to see that the vision and mission are not compromised inspite of the pressure.
Yakubu’s message to INEC staff read in parts:
“After several months of preparations, the Anambra State Governorship election 2021 is holding this weekend.
“Despite the challenging situation in the build-up to the election, including attacks on our facilities, our determination to ensure that the election holds as scheduled has been unshaken.
“In the process, we rebuilt our fixed assets and replaced movable facilities. We also sought and obtained the support of the security agencies, political parties and candidates and all other stakehoiders for a successful exercise”.
“Over the next few days, all eyes will be on us. As you are aware, Nigerians expect the Anambra Governorship election to be an improvement on the high standards achieved in recent elections. That is why we introduced the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) for fingerprint and facial biometric authentication of voters. We have trained staff on the new technology.
“We have also delivered all sensitive and non-sensitive materials for the election on schedule, deployed election duty staff and made logistics arrangements to move personnel and materials to thousands of locations in Anambra State where voting and collation of results will take place”
“It is therefore imperative for all of you to ensure that every single vote counts. You must remain true to our commitment that only the voters in Anambra State determine who becomes the next Governor of the State.
“In doing so, you must be guided by the extant laws, our guidelines/regulations and good conscience. You should remain vigilant, principled and committed to the vision and mission of the Commission”.
