The Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, says Saturday’s Anambra governorship election will serve as a crucial test of the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) efficiency, impartiality, and integrity, urging the electoral body to ensure a transparent process that rebuilds public confidence in Nigeria’s democracy.
Speaking in an interview with ARISE News on Thursday, Itodo said Yiaga Africa was “satisfied with the level of preparations” observed so far by both INEC and the security agencies but emphasised that their performance on election day would determine public trust in the system.
“Saturday’s elections will be underpinned by three tests,” he said. “The first test is the efficiency test. Anambra has historically recorded late commencement of elections across its polling units. From 2013 to 2017 to 2021, INEC has never recorded early starts in more than 40 percent of polling units. This is really an opportunity for INEC to demonstrate and record improvements in the deployment of election materials.”
He explained that the second test would be impartiality, particularly on the part of security agencies. “The bigger question is really for the security agencies — how they manage the security for this election in an impartial manner, not intimidating opposition forces or voters, but providing maximum protection for INEC officials to deploy their materials and personnel, especially in the riverine areas in Anambra South.”
The third test, Itodo said, was integrity — which would depend on the strict enforcement of the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the transparent collation and transmission of results.
“The law is very clear — no BVAS, no accreditation. But beyond that, how the results will be managed is key,” he said. “In previous elections, the results collation process was devoid of transparency, which dampened public trust. We hope INEC will implement 100 percent compulsory transmission or upload of results to the INEC Results Viewing Portal.”
Itodo also raised concern over low voter turnout, projecting participation below 20 percent, slightly higher than the 10 percent recorded in previous elections.
“In our pre-election statement, we don’t expect turnout to be more than 20 percent,” he said. “But we want to use this opportunity to call on the Anambra people — this is a festival of democracy. You have an opportunity to elect a leader of your choice. All the institutions have provided the necessary assurances. Please come out and cast your vote.”
He added that low voter participation undermines representation and governance, warning against a repeat of situations where “a minority of registered voters determine who leads the majority.”
“This is an entrepreneurial, God-given and peaceful state,” he said. “It’s time for citizens to take charge of their democracy.”
Boluwatife Enome
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