The Independent National Electoral Commission in Anambra has said distribution of sensitive materials for Saturday’s election would commence on Thursday, as the materials have taken to the INEC office from the Central Bank of Nigeria where they had been deposited.
At the Central Bank of Nigeria in Awka, representatives of INEC, various leaders of political parties and security personnel were present to observe the transfer of the sensitive materials which included the ballot papers and the result sheet among other important election materials to the INEC Headquarters in Awka.
Commenting on the exercise, the state chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Mr. Mike Kwentoh and the representative of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr. Innocent Okpoko, expressed satisfaction, noting that if INEC continued in like manner, there would be a free and fair election.
On the part of APC representative, Mr. Kingsley Ezenwenyi, the monitoring process should have commenced at the airport in Enugu where they would have been able to monitor the arrival of the cargo plane with the materials to the Central Bank where it was first deposited before finally moving to INEC office.
Ezenwenyi faulted the process pointing out that it was different from what it used to be. He recalled how they monitored the process at Enugu in 2010 and he observed that some palettes had been missing to which he raised an alarm but nobody could provide answers including the then Resident Electoral Commissioner, Professor Chukwuemeka Onukaogu.
However, the State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Edwin Nwatarali noted that INEC was ready for Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Nwatarali, who said his Commission had complied with the provisions of electoral law in all their activities, assured all present that INEC was ready and really committed to giving credible elections, stating that his Commission had checked and cross checked the materials, had ascertained them to be complete and was ready to send them to the 21 local government areas.
On his part, INEC Head of Operations, Elder Ata Okon Ewa, said the process of moving the materials which included the ballot papers, result sheet and other important materials from CBN to INEC office was an indication of their readiness to conduct the election adding that every local government would start receiving their materials from Thursday.
Mr. Nwatarali added that INEC had made necessary arrangement with road transporters’ Association to provide responsible drivers that would carry the materials to the various local government areas. He concluded by urging everybody to come out en mass to vote as arrangements to provide adequate security had been made.
