INEC promises improvement in Anambra guber election
From David Onwuchekwa, Nnewi and Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
Ahead of November 18 governorship election in Anambra State, the new Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Nwachukwu Orji, yesterday visited Nnewi industrial community in continuation of the commission’s sensitisation and familiarisation visit to communities in the 21 council areas in the state, promising improvement in the conduct of the polls.
His assurance came as 179 communities under the aegis of Anambra State Association of Town Unions (ASATU), reaffirmed their support and endorsement of Governor Willie Obiano for a second term in office.
The unions said that their support for Obiano came after appraising his scorecard in the first term, stressing that the governor had achieved a lot and deserved to be reelected for continuity and consolidation in the areas of infrastructural development, security, agricultural development among others.
Dr. Orji and other officials of the commission from Awka were received at the palace of the traditional ruler, Igwe Kenneth Orizu III, where he announced that the ongoing voters registration exercise for those not yet registered, would end on Tuesday in line with the electoral provision for the exercise to end two months before the polls.
He appealed to the Nnewi monarch to help the commission in mobilizing the populace for the exercise.
The REC announced that the electoral register had been published for those previously registered to check and verify their names before the election.
He appealed to the youths against being used for thuggery and other acts of violence before, during and after the election, while assuring a level playing field to all contestants.
Pledging his support, Igwe Orizu advised the commission to start accreditation and voting in time.
The ASATU cautioned members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) over the group’s call for the polls’ boycott, describing it as unfortunate and ill-informed.
The National President of the ASATU, Chief Alex Onukwue, at a press conference yesterday said the forthcoming election would be peaceful and urged the people of the state to come out enmasse to vote for Obiano.
Onukwue said the union was in support of restructuring and devolution of power, as panacea to Nigeria’s myriad of socio-economic and political problems.
“On the Kaduna declaration, we wish to align ourselves with the position and efforts of the national leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo and other Igbo leaders at solving the issues thrown up by the call by Arewa youths on Igbo to leave Northern Nigeria by October 1, 2017. As we consider the Kaduna declaration most unfortunate, we wish to express our confidence in the Federal Government to protect the Igbo living in the North and indeed all Nigerians in all parts of the country” he said.
