The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured voters that the forthcoming Anambra governorship election will go off without a hitch, despite minor network faults discovered during a recent mock accreditation exercise.
The commission recently conducted a fake accreditation exercise in the state as part of its efforts to test its Bimodal Voter Authentication System, or BVAS.
INEC Chairman Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, made the guarantee yesterday in Abuja while addressing the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, or ICCES, at the commission’s headquarters.
The discussion, co-chaired by the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and his representative, Mr. Hassan Abdullahi, focused on final security and logistical preparations for the November 8 election.
Amupitan, who presided over his first ICCES meeting since taking office, stated that the commission’s week-long readiness assessment in Anambra affirmed that all preparations were in place for a successful exercise.
He said, “Following our comprehensive readiness assessment across the state, INEC is confident of its full preparedness for the polls.
“Although we encountered some network challenges during the mock accreditation exercise in 12 polling units, efforts are underway to ensure a seamless election on November 8. We are ready for large-scale deployment.”
According to him, INEC will send approximately 24,000 staff to 5,718 of the state’s 5,720 polling units, as voting will not take place in two units where there are no registered voters.
The results will be compiled at 326 ward centers, 21 local government area centers, and finally at the State Collation Center in Awka.
The INEC chairman also remembered the extension of the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection exercise in Anambra.
He explained that the decision was made in response to indications that just 63.9% of registered voters had obtained their cards.
“To ensure that no eligible voter is disenfranchised, the Commission has extended PVC collection in Anambra from October 29 to November 2, 2025,” Amupitan said.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
