The Commissioner of Police for Election Duty in Anambra State, Abayomi Shogunle, has assured voters that security agencies are fully prepared to protect both land and riverine communities during Saturday’s governorship election.
He gave the assurance on Thursday when officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) visited the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) office in Awka to retrieve sensitive materials for the election.
The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Queen Agwu, supervised the exercise, which was attended by party representatives, journalists, and observers, although it commenced later than the scheduled 10 a.m.
According to INEC, 2,802,790 registered voters are expected to participate in the poll across 5,718 polling units in the state’s 21 local government areas.
Sixteen candidates are contesting the election, including Governor Chukwuma Soludo (APGA), Nicholas Ukachukwu (APC), Paul Chukwuma (YPP), George Moghalu (LP), and Jude Ezenwafor (PDP).
INEC Chairman Joash Amupitan reaffirmed the commission’s dedication to ensuring a credible and peaceful election while cautioning against vote-buying and electoral violence.
Shogunle disclosed that elections would not hold in two polling units due to the absence of registered voters.
“My responsibility is to ensure adequate security throughout the state during the election. Except for the two polling units without registered voters, voting will proceed everywhere else,” he said.
He further confirmed that all logistics and security plans had been finalised.
“All necessary arrangements have been completed. What we are witnessing today is part of that process — the distribution of election materials from the CBN to all local government areas. From there, they will move to the super racks, then to the racks, and by early Saturday morning, all materials will be at the polling stations,” he explained.
He also highlighted coordinated security operations across land, air, and waterways.
“Just before this briefing, a police helicopter conducted aerial patrols, while our boats are monitoring the waterways to prevent disruptions. Elections will take place in all areas, including riverine communities, in collaboration with the Nigerian Navy,” Shogunle added.