The Independent National Electoral Commission has given strong assurances to members of the National Youth Service Corps who will serve as ad hoc staff in the Anambra governorship election scheduled for Saturday.
INEC said measures have been taken to ensure their safety and prompt payment of all allowances for the assignment.
INEC Chairman Professor Joash Amupitan addressed journalists in Awka, where he emphasised that the welfare of corps members deployed for election duties remains a top priority. He explained that the commission, alongside security agencies, is committed to providing a safe working environment during the election. “Nobody would hold back their election duty allowances,” Professor Amupitan stated.
He further disclosed that arrangements had been concluded to ensure that corps members are easily identifiable at polling units. According to him, “We are doing everything to ensure that we use them in uniform so that they can distinguish themselves from others, and we do not use people within who are already partisan.” He added that the commission has provided everything needed for the successful conduct of the election, including funds for allowance payments.
On security, the INEC boss confirmed that the Nigerian Police Force and other security agencies have assured the commission of full protection for all officials and voters across the state. He revealed that security operatives had already begun what he described as “raking the ground” and would later conduct mop up operations to ensure safety at polling centres.
Professor Amupitan urged electoral officers to maintain neutrality and create a fair and equal process for all candidates and political parties contesting the election. He also advised residents to avoid vote buying and vote based on their conscience. He noted that if voters make independent choices, the issue of vote trading would reduce.
The INEC Chairman also announced that the commission has deployed more than the required number of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System machines for the 5,718 polling units in Anambra. He said nearly a thousand additional BVAS devices have been kept as backup in case of any technical issues on election day.
