Anambra LG Poll: ANSIEC Gives 90% Readiness Assurance as 21 LGAs, 326 Wards Set for Saturday Showdown

By Praise Chinecherem

With just days to the much-anticipated Anambra State local government elections, the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) says it is 90 per cent ready for Saturday’s poll, assuring residents that voting will take place across all 21 Local Government Areas and 326 wards in the state.

The commission also disclosed that voting would commence by 8:00 a.m., while sensitive electoral materials would be deployed to their designated locations on election morning.

The Commissioner in charge of Information and Publicity, Chief Tony Nnalue, gave the assurance on Wednesday during a press briefing, saying preparations for the election, which began in February, had reached an advanced stage.

Nnalue said the evacuation of non-sensitive materials to various locations had commenced, while sensitive materials would be moved to their respective destinations as early as 7:30 a.m. on Saturday.

“Voting will commence by 8:00 a.m. in all the voting centres across the state. We encourage eligible voters to come out to exercise their franchise,” he said.

The commissioner disclosed that two political parties—the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and the Young Progressive Party (YPP)—would participate in the election after indicating interest in the exercise.

According to him, ANSIEC screened 346 councilorship candidates and 22 chairmanship candidates for the poll and had procured the necessary electoral materials.

“We screened about 346 councilorship candidates and 22 mayoral candidates for the election. We also procured electoral materials,” Nnalue said.

He added that ad hoc personnel recruited for the election had undergone training across the three senatorial zones, while the final training for collation officers and Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs) was ongoing.

Nnalue explained that the commission introduced special training for election officials because of the peculiar nature of the forthcoming poll, particularly in local government areas where only one candidate is contesting.

He said such candidates would not automatically be declared winners, but would instead face a “Yes” or “No” vote by the electorate.

“This special training was borne out of the peculiarities of the election. All the local governments where there is a single candidate contesting will witness a Yes or No ballot,” he explained.

“When a mayoral candidate emerges unopposed, that is not automatic victory. The law says if only one candidate emerges unopposed during the primary, he will contest the election as a single candidate.

“Instead of the ballot showcasing different parties, it will show Yes or No options.”

Nnalue stressed that winning a party primary without an opponent did not translate into automatic victory at the general election, saying the electorate must still endorse the candidate.

“Emerging victorious at the primary does not give you automatic winning. The candidate must be tested by the electorate through their Yes or No options,” he said.

He further explained that a candidate would be declared elected if the “Yes” votes exceeded the “No” votes and the candidate secured two-thirds of the votes cast.

“At the end of the voting, the results would be collected by collation officers and counted. If the number of votes with the Yes outweighs that of No, and the candidate garnered two-thirds of the votes, he will be declared winner,” he said.

However, where the “No” votes outnumber the “Yes” votes, the candidate would lose and the election would be declared inconclusive, according to the commissioner.

“Conversely, if the number of No votes outweighs that of Yes, the candidate loses and the election will be declared inconclusive. The floor would be opened again for another fresh primary,” he added.

Nnalue described the introduction of the Yes-or-No voting system as a significant development in the state’s electoral process.

“This is the first time this will be conducted in the state. We’re glad to be the first team and state to execute it,” he said.

With the commission putting its readiness at 90 per cent, attention now shifts to Saturday, when voters across Anambra’s 21 local government areas and 326 wards will determine who will lead their respective councils.

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