Yiaga Africa Lauds INEC Over Conduct Of Anambra Poll

The Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for showing signs of improvement in logistics management during the Saturday’s Anambra State governorship election.

Itodo also urges the electoral body to sustain the momentum in future polls.

Speaking with Channels TV on Monday, Itodo noted that although the new INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, assumed office less than two weeks before the exercise, his presence and leadership contributed in part to how the poll was managed.

“This is just the first election that he’s managing,” Itodo said. “The bigger question is whether this election met certain tests. Amupitan assumed office just less than two weeks before the election, and plans for the election had already been concluded before he came.

“Perhaps there were minimal changes he made when he assumed office, but to a large extent, his presence as chair would have impacted and influenced the way the election was conducted.”

Itodo, however, stressed that INEC’s effectiveness was not dependent on any single individual but on the collective integrity and competence of its team.

“The electoral commission is not about individuals; it’s a collective of people. The personal integrity of all these individuals affects how the election is conducted,” he added.

Assessing INEC’s overall performance, Itodo observed that there was a marked improvement in the early deployment of logistics and election materials compared to previous elections in the state.

“If we were to assess INEC’s performance in terms of efficiency, we would ask: did INEC manage logistics for the Anambra election in a way that demonstrated the commission’s consciousness that logistics affect elections? Anambra is notorious for recording late commencement of polls since 2013,” he noted.

He recalled that in the 2021 Anambra governorship election, only 17 per cent of polling units had opened by 7:30 a.m. However, in this year’s election, the figure rose significantly to 49 per cent by the same time — an indication of improved planning and deployment by the commission.

“Even though they didn’t make 50 per cent, it’s a marked improvement. By 10:30 a.m., accreditation and voting had commenced in 98 per cent of polling units, a major deviation from 2021,” he said.

Itodo, however, acknowledged that despite the improvement, logistics challenges still existed and urged INEC to continue refining its operational strategy to ensure greater efficiency and inclusiveness in future elections.