The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in Anambra State has said it will need about 20,000 personnel to conduct a hitch-free and successful governorship election in the state.
Dr. Nkwachukwu Orji, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, said this on Thursday in Awka during a two-day workshop for Civil Society Situation Room in preparation for the governorship election.
Orji said the commission had already commenced training of those on the ground.
According to him, the workshop was targeted at providing a platform for the civil societies to interact with the INEC management to review the activities so far embarked upon by the commission in order to make plans for the future.
He revealed that a total of 35 candidates from various registered political parties emerged from their party primaries, but noted that some of the parties conducted theirs without the presence of the electoral umpire.
He listed the three elements that would define the election to include the pro-Biafra agitators, general discontentment in the entire South East region as well as the security challenges in the region which might rob off in the electoral process.
On the challenges already being faced by the commission, Orji highlighted funding, erratic power supply, bureaucracy and discontentment on the part of the electorates, as major ones, but expressed optimism on the ability of the commission to scale through.
Earlier, the convener of the conference and Executive Director, Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), Clement Nwankwo, described the Anambra election as crucial to the body in view of its peculiarity.
He said the poll would not only serve as a test run to the 2019 general elections, but would send a signal on the maturity of the nation’s democracy.
Source: Independent
