*Violence Will Not Be Tolerated, Ribadu Warns
THE Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, has disclosed that voting will not take place at two Polling Units (PUs) in the November 8 governorship election in Anambra State due to lack of registered voters in the units.
In his remark on Tuesday, October 28, at a meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) on the Anambra poll, Amupitan said the Commission will deploy a total of 24,000 personnel and election will hold in 5,718 of the 5720 PUs.
He stated: “We plan to deploy 24,000 personnel. The election will be held in 5,718 of the 5,720 Polling Units in the state. Voting will not take place in the remaining two Polling Units due to the absence of registered voters.”
Speaking on behalf of the ICCES, the National Security Adviser (NSA) to the President, Nuhu Ribadu, represented by Hassan Abdullahi, assured that robust security measures were being put in place to ensure a hitch-free poll.
According to him: “These include enhanced surveillance, deployment of sufficient security personnel and improved intelligence gathering to prevent any attempt by disruptive elements or desperate politicians to undermine the electoral process.
“Moreover, we are proactively engaging with political party leaders and local stakeholders to send a clear message that violence will not be tolerated in our elections.
“All participating political parties and their candidates must advocate for peace and encourage their supporters to conduct themselves in a manner that honours the integrity of our electoral system.
“Any form of violence during the elections will be met with a strong, uncompromising response.”
