Anambra moves to hold council polls, silent on date

ANAMBRA State government yesterday announced commencement of processes towards conduct of local council elections.

Acting Chairman of the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC), Sylvester Okonkwo, who made the announcement on behalf of Governor Peter Obi, said the processes include printing of sensitive and non-sensitive materials such as the ballot papers and the result sheets.

He described the job as very cumbersome, which has taken the Commission about eight weeks so far. According to Okonkwo, about 20,000 copies of sensitisation materials required in educating electorate and citizens on the dos and don’ts of the election were almost ready.

Also, voters’ registers for nine out of the 21 councils have already been printed, while the remaining ones are in the works at the state office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The acting chairman disclosed that the materials were being printed locally through direct labour.

Okonkwo, who briefed journalists in his office yesterday, expressed happiness that a tribunal to try electoral offenders has been established, warning trouble shooters to stay clear of the electoral process in the state or have themselves to blame.

The ANSIEC chief, who admitted that his Commission is now being funded by the state government, unlike before, declined to give date of the election or details of the timetable.

It was learnt that the commissioners, as well as advisers of Governor Obi have been sacked after Monday’s valedictory state executive council meeting at the Government House Awka.

Obi was reported to have, at the weekend at a gala-nite held at the Governor’s Lodge, commended the aides for their services and wished them well in their future endeavours.