November 18 Anambra gov’ship sacrosanct - INEC
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that the November 18 governorship election in Anambra State will not be shifted.
Beside monetary implications, the commission said it would not allow any change in the date as any postponement would not augur well for the process.
The state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Nkwachukwu Orji, who gave the assurance, yesterday, during a meeting with the executive members of Interparty Advisory Council (IPAC) in the state, said the commission would resist any attempt to truncate the electoral process.
He cited the instances of 2015 general elections and that of Edo polls, where due to personal interests, some stakeholders pushed for shift of election dates, saying such would not be tolerated in the case of Anambra State.
“We want the election to hold as scheduled. We have 58 days to the election and we are on top of the preparations. There would not be any need for postponement.
“Any attempt to shift the date would be waste of resources. We need to conclude the election as scheduled so as to focus on the 2019 general elections,” he said.
While congratulating IPAC for the peaceful conduct of its elections that saw the re-election of its chairman, Orji also commended the role it played towards the successful conduct of the continuous voter registration exercise, which he described as “exceptional in the history of the state.”
He, however, appealed to the IPAC leadership to mobilise the gubernatorial candidates of the various political parties, including the articulation of their profiles and manifestoes to enable the commission publish them for effective voter education.