Explainer: Two Serious Issues That Might Affect Success of Anambra Governorship Election

As registered voters in Anambra get ready to head to the poll to elect the next governor of the state on Saturday, November 6, Legit.ng takes a look at the two things that might affect the election.

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The permutation to win the contest is favouring three candidates — Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

Here are the main issues that might affect the election

Low Voter Turnout

There are fears that there will be low turnout of voters during the election. With 2.52 million registered voters in the state, many stakeholders are worried that the November 6 election may witness a low level of voter turnout following recent developments in the state.

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In fact, in a report released on Monday by SBM intelligence titled, “A look at potential apathy in the 2021 Anambra Election” revealed that many people are not ready to vote.

The report stated that 0.6% of the survey’s respondents are not registered voters, however of the 99.4% who are, 68% said that they would not vote in the November 6, 2021 election.

Recall that the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) had issued a one-week sit-at-home order, to begin, on November 5, 2021, till November 10 — a move to frustrate the election. Though the group recently denied that the order was to stop people from voting. However, this is still a big factor.

Violence

There is growing fears that the election might turn violent following opposition to the election by some people and most especially the continuous attack on police formations in the state. This is the biggest threat to the election.

Recall that in the past 10 months, the region has witnessed a series of violent attacks on public and private properties, including on police stations and INEC offices.

Amid the attacks, people were murdered, including police officers and prominent Nigerians.

As a result of this, inspector-general of police, said 34,587 police officers have been deployed in the state. Also, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) said it will also deploy 20,000 personnel. These are apart from troops of the Nigerian Armywho have also been deployed in the state.

Former head of state makes powerful prediction ahead of Anambra governorship election

Meanwhile, former head of state and chairman National Peace Committee, General Abdulsalami Abubakar predicted that the November 6 Anambra state governorship election will be a peaceful electoral process.

Abubakar made this known on Thursday, November 4, in Asaba, Delta state after candidates participating in the gubernatorial race signed a Peace Accord.

Abubakar went on to note that a free, fair and credible election can be possible if candidates and their political parties abide by the peace accord.