The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Anambra State 99 percent ready for the November 8 governorship election.
This followed a weeklong assessment tour across the 21 local government areas of the state by a high-level INEC delegation led by the National Commissioner for Election Planning and Monitoring, Prof. Rhoda Gumus.
Addressing journalists at the end of the tour on Sunday, Prof. Gumus said the Commission had completed major operational, security, and logistical preparations for the exercise.
“Our visit has shown that Anambra is ready, INEC is ready, and the people are ready,” she said, assuring that the Commission was committed to delivering an election that reflects the true will of the electorate.
The delegation inspected the batching and deployment of non-sensitive materials, monitored the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), and supervised a mock accreditation exercise using the upgraded Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which was adjudged successful.
Other members of the team included Mr. Sam Olumekun (mni), Dr. Kenneth Ukeagu, and Dr. Baba Bila. They also met with the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr. Queen Elizabeth Agwu, transport union leaders, and security chiefs under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
Security agencies — including the Police, DSS, NSCDC, and the military — assured of adequate deployment to guarantee a peaceful and credible election.
“Our goal is simple — peaceful, credible elections across all polling units,” the security chiefs said.
Dr. Agwu commended the cooperation among security agencies, saying it had strengthened the Commission’s confidence in conducting the polls without fear.
“The cooperation we see today gives us confidence that materials, personnel, and voters will move freely and safely,” she said.
INEC said final preparations would focus on deploying staff and sensitive materials to registration area centers ahead of election day.