A non governmental organization, Youth Initiative for Advocacy Growth and Advancement(YIAGA) has said that the deployment of huge security personnel into Anambra for Saturday’s governorship election would boost the confidence of voters.
This is coming at a time when some people have cried foul over the large deployment, saying that it amounts to over policing the state and may scare innocent voters from coming out to cast their votes freely.
YIAGA, which is one of the groups accredited for the coverage of the Anambra governorship election observers in a press briefing to unveil pre-election observations through its project, Watching-The-Vote said it gathered that there is high enthusiasm among electorate, security and the INEC in the state.
Cynthia Mbamalu, project manager of Watching-The-Vote who briefed journalists on the final pre-election report said findings shows that there is high preparation for credible election in the state, even though there is need for improvement.
Mbamalu said that, “The latest in the series of threats by IPOB coded as ‘vote and die’ in an open parade with boldness and no restriction, even after the proscription, barely a week to election, makes IPOB a real source of security threats to the election that must not be trivialized.
“Assurances by security agencies only represent necessary first steps. Strategies must be put in place for the effectiveness and efficiency of their deployment. Security agencies are issuing assurances about their capability and readiness to provide electoral security.”
Reacting to the huge deployment of security to the state for the election, Ezenwa Nwagwu, one of the officials of YIAGA said it is to the advantage of the people and that state that the federal government was approving the deployment of huge security personnel for coverage of the election.
He said instead of causing fears among the voters and leading to voter apathy, the deployment of security to the state will rather boost the peoples confidence to come in and vote for their choice candidates, during the station.
“I know that most times, even before people are sent to some places, they will ask if there is enough security to protect them before they accept to go, so the people will rather feel confident with the deployment of security to the state, knowing that they are coming to protect us not to harm us.
“I know a candidate who has said that if the IPOB threat works, it will be an opportunity for him to manipulate the result and get victory, because whether people turn up or not, there must be election and someone must be declared. So instead of Anambra people sitting at home and having a governor imposed on them, they should all come out and ensure they vote in their choice.
The group which led journalists around its situation room, where results and data emanating from the election would be collated for interested persons to source them added that it had deployed observers to all the 21 local government areas of the state.
It commended the political parties participating in the election for maintaining peace and shuning hate speeches so far.
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