THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced plan to begin registration of voters and revalidation of voter’s cards in Anambra State ahead of the governorship election fixed for November 16, 2013.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has released its guidelines and timetable for its primary election to pick a candidate for the governorship election in Anambra State.
National Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, who spoke at the meeting of the electoral body with Anambra State stakeholders on the preparation for election yesterday in Abuja, charged them to engage in the electoral process in strict compliance with the rules of the game.
“Our preparations for the elections include doing the continuous voter’s registration from 19th to 25th of August 2013, in order to update the registers as required by law, before the elections. Doing this will give an opportunity for all those who have attained the age of 18 and above since the last registration in 2011 to register, for all those who have registered and we have their records on the manual register, that is those on the so called addendum register or whose details are incomplete, to have their registration status updated. It is in this context that we have made a review of the register of voters for Anambra State a key item on the agenda for today’s meeting. As we are all aware, the credibility of the register of voters goes a long way to assure the credibility of the elections.
“In this regard, we have left no stone unturned in order to clean up and have a very credible register for Anambra State before the November 16 governorship election. You will be adequately briefed on the current state of the register and the plans to update it,” Jega said.
The proposed All Progressives Congress (APC) and the National Conscience Party (NCP), have commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on the decision to begin registration of voters and re-validation of voters’ cards ahead of the governorship election in Anambra State.
In a telephone chat with newsmen shortly after a meeting of all national and state chairmen and secretaries of registered political parties with the INEC chairman at the commission’s Abuja headquarters yesterday, the Anambra State chairman of the proposed APC and that of National Conscience Party (NCP), Chief Amechi Obidike and Sir Peter Okala respectively described the move to begin registration of voters as noble.
According to the party chiefs, the revalidation of voter’s cards in Anambra would enable more eligible people to vote at the coming election.
Okala said: “NCP in Anambra State commends INEC for ordering a revalidation of voter’s cards and registration of new voters to give room for those who have attained voting age as well as those who may have lost their voter’s cards to take part in the coming governorship election.
The NCP chairman said INEC promised to prosecute persons caught in double registration. He urged the electoral body to start with her own workers who were alleged to be instruments in the hands of fraudsters to locate polling units in the bush.
PDP released its guidelines even as the stakeholders gathered at the party national secretariat in Abuja and urged the national leadership to fight against imposition of candidates.
