No fewer than 2.8 million voters will today decide who governs Anambra State for the next four years.
The governorship poll is the first to be conducted under the new Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan, who assumed office on October 23.
Observers have described the election as a major test of INEC’s commitment to credible reforms and its ability to deliver a free, fair, and transparent process.
INEC said 2,802,790 registered voters are eligible to participate, including 140,370 newly registered voters across the state’s 326 wards.
With about 98.8 per cent of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) already collected, major contenders in the race include Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu (APC), Dr George Moghalu (Labour Party), John Nwosu (ADC), Jude Ezenwafor (PDP), and the incumbent governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo (APGA), who is seeking re-election.
INEC confirmed that 16 political parties are fielding candidates, including two women.
The commission said all 5,718 polling units will open at 8:30 a.m., with 6,879 BVAS devices configured and backed up, and over 24,000 ad hoc staff deployed.
Distribution of sensitive and non-sensitive election materials began Thursday at the Central Bank of Nigeria, Awka, under the supervision of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr Queen Awgu, amid tight security.
Awgu said key materials, including BVAS, Forms EC8A, and Forms EC8B, were being transported to registration area centres ahead of the poll.
“The idea is to ensure that the election starts as scheduled; that is the only way the process can go on without delay,” she said.
She urged residents to come out en masse to vote, rather than assume their votes would not count or that outcomes were already predetermined.
The Anambra State Police Command on Friday announced a total restriction of vehicular movement in and out of the state during the election.
Police spokesman SP Tochukwu Ikenga said the restriction takes effect from 12 a.m. to 6 p.m., applying to all forms of motorised transportation.
“The decision is aimed at preventing the movement of political thugs and other criminal elements who may attempt to disrupt the electoral process,” the statement read in part.
Ikenga advised interstate travellers to take alternative routes, noting that only persons on essential duties — INEC officials, accredited journalists and observers, medical personnel, emergency responders, and essential service providers — would be exempted.
INEC Chairman Amupitan said at a press conference in Abuja that four National Commissioners are in Anambra to personally supervise the election, supported by 10 Resident Electoral Commissioners specially deployed from across the country.
He assured voters in six security-challenged registration areas of Ihiala LGA that they would vote safely at the council secretariat under tight security.
“Anyone attempting violence, vote-buying, intimidation, or ballot interference will face swift, lawful consequences,” Amupitan warned.
The Commissioner of Police in charge of the election, Abayomi Shogunle, disclosed that the number of security personnel deployed had been increased from 45,000 to 55,000, to ensure adequate coverage and protection of voters and officials.
Security agencies on Friday barricaded the INEC headquarters in Awka, with armoured personnel carriers blocking access roads around Ekwueme Square, where the commission’s office is located.
Hundreds of personnel were stationed in and around the premises to safeguard sensitive materials and monitor the deployment of ad hoc officials.
Motorists were barred from driving into the area and had to park and walk to their destinations.
Several civil society groups, including the Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA) and the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa), have established situation rooms to monitor the election.
The Police Command also set up its own situation room headed by SP Tochukwu Ikenga.
CTA said it deployed 50 observers sending real-time reports, while CDD-West Africa said it trained and accredited 178 observers across the state’s 21 local government areas.
In Abuja, police authorities deployed DIG Benjamin Okolo as supervisory officer for all security personnel participating in the election.