The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says if the sit-at-home in the South East does not stop, it may adversely affect the November 6 governorship polls in Anambra state.
The Anambra Resident INEC Commissioner (REC), Dr Nkwachukwu Orji, who addressed the media in Awka, raised the alarm.
According to him, if the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) sit-at-home is not stopped, it may be difficult to conduct the Nov. 6 election.
The commissioner said that every arrangement was in progress to ensure that the election was conducted in a free and fair manner.
On the alleged movement of materials from Owerri, the REC said that all sensitive materials would be distributed from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Awka, while other non sensitive materials like sanitisers, facemask and other will be sourced from the INEC Regional Headquarters in Owerri, the Imo state capital.
He said that no fewer than 25,000 adhoc staff members would be recruited to work during the elections; four adhoc staff members will be deployed to each of the polling boots.
Some of the political parties involved in the election, including the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) raised concerns over where some of the materials for the polls were going to be sourced.
INEC had also through its National Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, announced that the commission would use INEC office in the Imo state for storage of non-sensitive materials, citing the destruction of INEC office in Anambra as its reason.
The Special Adviser to the governor on political matters, Mr Ifeatu Obiokoye, in reaction, said it was not right for INEC to store the sensitive materials for the election in Imo, suggesting that this be reversed.
According to him, the idea may be an attempt to rig the polls in favour of a particular political party.
He said that some of the parties involved in the polls had since rejected the use of Owerri storage facilities following rumours that some adhoc staff members were being recruited from a university in Imo state.
Mr Obiokoye cited that all other parties were currently in the process of signing a letter to be sent to INEC, expressing their rejection of Owerri or any other All Progressive Congress (APC) state involved in the Anambra election.
`What informed the letter is a rumour that some ad-hoc staff members and returning officers for the polls are being recruited from the Imo State University.’’
The governor’s aid said that all political parties taking part in the election, except APC, will sign a communiqué, which will be forwarded to INEC.
“The letter will state our decision that we as people and all the political parties, except APC, will reject any ad-hoc staff member recruited from Imo State, in particular and generally, from any APC-run state.
