By Okechukwu Okechukwu
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has urged traditional rulers, presidents-general of 181 communities and other stakeholders in Anambra State to help secure their offices and electoral materials during the 2023 general elections.
The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Anambra state, Dr Queen Elizabeth Agwu, who made the appeal in Awka during a brainstorming meeting with community leaders and other stakeholders from Anambra Central Senatorial districts, said the commission was aware of their influences and respects among the populace.
"Security issue is localised. There is no community where the natives are unaware of identities of any criminal element among them. As community leaders, the INEC consider you as critical stakeholders.
" We trust that you can help provide adequate security to our facilities, staff, offices,, especially during elections. We are charging you to make adequate security arrangements that will guarantee smooth conduct of the 2023 general elections at your communities, " she pleaded.
She also appealed to community leaders to sensitise their people who participated on the recently concluded Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise to collect their Permanent Voters'Cards (PVC) across the 21 Council Areas.
According to her, the state has taken delivery of additional 283,431 PVCs excluding the 132,626 PVCs earlier received and shifted to 21 Local Governments Areas (LGAs) for distributions.
The REC, however, warned that the commission would surely prosecute whoever would be caught buying or selling PVCs, even as she enjoined electorate to safeguard theirs to avoid been disfranchised, because according to her, "PVCs are highly valued and that is why they are buying them from their owners to disenfranchise those people they purchased their PVCs."
In their various contributions, the traditional ruler of Okpuno community, Awka-South Local Government Area, Igwe Simeon Okafor, and the president-general of Ebenebe, Hon. Paul Nnatuanya, assured the commission that they would do all humanly possible to assist the commission deliver on their mandate on 2023.