2019: INEC ready for primaries – REC

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is ready for effective monitoring of the primaries of the 91 political parties.

Dr Nkwachukwu Orji, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Anambra, said this on Friday in Awka at the quarterly meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security.

Orji said that though the number of political parties recently increased to 91, the commission had put in place measures for effective monitoring of the primaries.

“We have put the security agencies on alert on the up-coming parties’ primaries in the state and I believe security will not be an issue during the primaries,’’ he said.

Orji, however, urged members of political parties to be peaceful during the exercise.

He also said about 100,000 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were yet to be collected in the state, adding that the meeting deliberated on ways to step up action for speedy collection of the cards.

“It is disturbing that we still have this number of PVCs uncollected in spite of awareness by INEC to make the owners of these cards to pick them up,’’ he said.

Mr Mike Okoli, the state Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations, gave an assurance that all security measures had been put in place for primaries and the 2019 general elections.

“Even if the INEC says that election is coming up next week, for us in the security sector, I feel we are battle ready to make sure that things work out properly,’’ he said.

Mr Aremu Kehinde, the state’s Coordinator of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), told our reporter that the scheme was committed to the security of corps members to be used as ad hoc staff during the elections.

Kehinde, however, said that he was pleased with the arrangement made so far for corps members, assuring voters that they would be patriotic in their conduct during the exercise.