The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) for Anambra State, Dr. Queen Elizabeth Agwu, has defended the integrity of the electoral body, asserting that INEC lacks the capacity to rig elections.
Agwu made this statement in Awka while speaking as a special guest at a stakeholders’ engagement and sensitization workshop on Mandate Protection ahead of the upcoming Anambra governorship election scheduled for November 8. The event was organized by the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room in collaboration with the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), with support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
According to her, it is usually politicians who attempt to manipulate the electoral process, and when their efforts fail, they shift the blame to INEC. “INEC is just a small item in the big electoral process. The Police, Army, Civil Defence, FRSC and others are all involved. We have returning officers for the state, 21 local governments, 326 wards, and all polling booths. These are ad hoc workers. On election day, you won’t see INEC officials outside. We only see the result sheet once, when results from all locations are collated. The truth is, money exchanges hands during elections, and it is instigated by politicians. When someone loses, they shout that INEC has rigged them out. We are destroying ourselves in the name of politics,” she stated.
Dr. Agwu also questioned the credibility of the current voters register, revealing that in previous years, names were indiscriminately inserted into it, leading to the inclusion of ghost entries. She pointed out that this contributes to persistently low voter turnout. She warned that, “Those who sit somewhere to write results are wasting their time because such results can never find their way into the authentic result sheets.”
In his remarks, Mr. Chibuike Mgbeahurike, election consultant to the CDD, lamented the poor involvement of stakeholders in the electoral process, which he said has led to electoral flaws. “I don’t know the last time we were served with a credible election in this country. Look at Anambra: instead of telling the people how they intend to serve, politicians are busy attacking each other. Even voters now say they won’t vote unless they are paid, and this is because politicians have failed to sensitize them,” he said.
Mgbeahurike emphasized the urgent need for more political education, grassroots driven campaigns, and vigilant mandate protection to rebuild public trust in Nigeria’s elections.
Discussions at the workshop focused on election security, voter verification and authentication, mechanisms for preventing and detecting malpractice, and enhancing transparency in electoral monitoring.
