The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has set November 6 for the conduct of the Anambra State 2021 governorship election. The Commission also released a timetable of activities ahead of the election. According to the timetable, political party primaries are to take place between June 10 and June 21, with campaigns commencing August 8, while the final list of nominated candidates will be published on October 7.
At a Workshop for the Review of INEC’s Voter Education Manual in Niger State, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye identified several areas of concern that are likely to confront the Commission’s conduct of the Anambra State governorship election and subsequent elections. These include enhancing voter access to polling units vis-à-vis the country’s growing population, validation of the Voters’ Register and conducting the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Others are the amendment of the Electoral Act with a view to deepening the use of technology in the electoral process, as well as how to enhance voter turnout at elections.
Against the backdrop of the 2020 off-cycle governorship elections conducted in Edo and Ondo States, expectations are high for the Anambra polls, as the previous elections were a significant improvement from several off-cycle elections before them. However, low voter turnout and vote buying have become increasingly recurring in Nigeria’s elections. It is important for relevant stakeholders to sustain their efforts towards peaceful and transparent elections, to build on the gains recorded in the Edo and Ondo elections. The National Assembly’s intensified efforts to pass the Electoral Act (repeal and re-enactment) by the first quarter of the year and INEC’s indication to resume CVR exercise within the same period may change the dynamics for the Anambra State governorship election.