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…Applaud INEC’s organisation, police, and other security agencies for maintaining calm
…Debunk allegations of vote buying in observed areas
By Christopher Oji
The ongoing Anambra governorship election has been widely described as peaceful and well-coordinated so far, with accredited international observers commending the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for a smooth and orderly process across polling centres visited, as well as the security agencies led by DIG Benjamin Okolo, the Deputy Inspector General of Police Force Intelligence Department.
Reports from various parts of the state indicated that voting and accreditation began early in most polling units, with moderate but steady voter turnout.
The election, which serves as a key test for INEC’s operational readiness under Prof. Joash Amupitan, has been characterised by calm, tight security, and effective logistics deployment.
Ambassador Emmanuel Nkweke of the International Association of World Peace Advocates, one of the accredited observer groups, expressed satisfaction with the process, noting that both logistics and technology appeared to be functioning as planned.
Speaking from polling units 002 and 010, he said: “The turnout is on the average side. The build-up, as it may, shows that the election is peaceful and everything is going as it should. We saw pregnant women, the elderly, and people that are handicapped. These show that people are well informed and eager to participate in the election so far.”
He further observed the presence of both domestic and international observer groups, including representatives from the European Union and members of the media. “Another observation which I have made here is the volume of security agencies present. Seven police officers are here, and there has been no violence recorded so far,” he noted.
According to him, accreditation was ongoing smoothly, and the environment remained calm and secure. “We expect that at the end of this exercise, the turnout will reflect the people’s mandate, those who have come out to cast their votes. It is very, very impressive so far,” he stated.
He confirmed that voting and accreditation had continued peacefully across several areas visited. “We are just coming from other places — we visited Opuno, Ezenefite, and some other wards and units. The election has been on the same frequency of being peaceful,” he said.
On allegations of vote buying, Dr. Nkweke clarified that his team had not observed any such incidents. “As a matter of fact, as an international observer, we don’t report speculations. I have to report what we have seen. We have not noticed anything called vote buying, and if we notice such, we will definitely make noise about it,” he stated.
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Speaking further on INEC’s preparedness, he said the electoral body had demonstrated commendable efficiency and prompt response to minor issues. “We were with the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner yesterday. None of the BVAS machines have been reported faulty apart from one incident, and the technical team was very fast to respond. The BVAS is working according to expectation,” he explained.
He also highlighted the strong inter-agency coordination that contributed to the atmosphere of calm. “About eight agencies are involved, not only the police. We’ve seen the police, road safety, and civil defence officers on ground. You can see the environment is calm. We don’t know what is happening in other local governments, but for now, we are impressed,” he said.
Dr. Nkweke concluded by reaffirming his group’s commitment to accurate and objective reporting, saying, “I have to verify and report only what we have seen. So far, we are impressed.”
Speaking to journalists at Community Primary School in Amawbia, Mrs. Ifeoma Ngene said the process was seamless and they had no problem voting as the voting process was made simple this.
She said: “Once you are verified, you go ahead and vote! This really simplified the process for us. I must commend the police for the groundwork they did before the election.
“We initially thought it would violent, but the Commissioner of Police, CP Ikioye Orutugu had continuously assured us to come out and vote that we would be safe! He was right. I have voted and I am heading home now.”
However, as 12: 40, the election was going one well in Awka and Ekwulobia .
The Airwing Department of the Force were hovering the state .
