The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says that no fewer than 2.8 million registered voters are expected to participate in the November 8 Anambra governorship election.

Ejimofor Ejikeme, the head of the electoral operations department in Anambra, made this known on Tuesday, during the commission’s forum for media executives, reporters, producers, and online and on-air personalities in Awka.

Sixteen governorship candidates and their political parties would participate in the poll.

“A total of 2.8 million registered voters will participate in the November 8 governorship election in Anambra,” said Mr Ejikeme.

“The figure rose from 2.6 million registered voters to 2.8 million after the recent Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise in the state.”

Mr Ejikeme said the figure represented the final number of registered voters after the recent CVR exercise in the state.

Earlier, Sam Olumekun, the INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), said the purpose of the meeting was to strengthen democracy through credible information and responsible media communication.

Mr Olumekun appreciated the media for their professionalism and balanced reportage during the recent by-election in the state.

According to him, you upheld the ethics of journalism, resisted sensationalism, and ensured that facts, not falsehoods, guided public understanding.

He said INEC was ready for the state’s governorship election.

“The commission’s level of readiness is both practical and measurable. All non-sensitive materials have been delivered to the state, while sensitive materials will arrive in due course under strict security arrangements.

“This week, the commission is in Anambra for a week-long readiness assessment visit. The visit will feature meetings with key stakeholders, including the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), transport unions, a mock accreditation, and an overall review of preparations,” he said.

The INEC official said the permanent voter cards (PVCs) from the recently conducted CVR exercise in the state were ready for collection.

“Starting from October 22 to October 26, Anambra electorate who registered within the last exercise are encouraged to visit the wards where they registered to collect their PVCs.  

“I must emphasise that there will be no collection by proxy. We seek your support in this regard to help mobilise registrants through your various platforms to pick up these PVCs in order to participate in the election,” he said.

Similarly, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, Elizabeth Agwu, said accreditation and voting would start at 8:30 a.m. and end by 2:30 p.m.

(NAN)