By Our Reporter
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is meeting with eight of the 21 Local government areas in the state to discuss the insecurity situations in those areas where the bye-elections will take place.
Also, to partake in the high level meeting at the INEC headquarters in Awka, are all the security heads in the state, including the Department of Security Service, DSS, the Police, the Army ,the Navy among others
The Council areas are, Ihiala, Onitsha North, Orumba North, Orumba South, Ekwusigo, Nnewi North, Nnewi South and Aguata
The bye-elections will hold in Anambra South senatorial zone, to replace late Senator Ifeanyi Ubah, while the Onitsha North 1 constituency is to replace late Hon Justice Azuka, who was kidnapped and killed by gunmen on Christmas eve of 2024.
However, the insecurity situation in some of the communities in those local government areas where the South Senatorial and Onitsha North state constituency elections will hold are giving the Electoral Commission and security agencies serious headache
The communities where the agitators (otherwise known as gunmen) have invaded are Orsumoghu, Lilu, Isseke, Ukpor, Azia, Uli and Mbosi, all in Ihiala local government area, while, Umunze, Ogbunka and Owerre-Ezukala are all in Orumba South
All the listed communities had been under the control of the hoodlums in Anambra state for over four years, while the security operatives had become helpless, including the local vigilance groups
Speaking with Razor in her office, the INEC’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Queen Elizabeth Agwu, said the meeting will deliberate on the way to handle insecurity during the election in those areas.
Queen Agwu said,” It is the duty of the communities to tell us how the elections will hold in their areas, if they want us to hold the elections in INEC offices, we are ready for that.
“The security agencies will be there to hear from them, what they tell us to be the way forward is what INEC will do. But every arrangement for the elections is ready.
“During the recent registration at Ogbaru, those people came to the venue and our staff members were just lucky the Navy people and other security operatives were around.
“The staff had been trained adequately and by Thursday, the security men and other stakeholders will move to the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN office in Awka for the distribution of the materials to the different destinations” the REC said
She maintained that INEC is not taking anything for granted as the lives of her staff and the electorate are very important to INEC.
