INEC should kick start electronic transmission of election results with Anambra election — Nnalugha

Legal Adviser to Anambra State Indigenes Lawyers Forum (ASILF), Chuks Nnalugha, has said that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should kick-start electronic transmission of election results with the November 6, 2021 governorship election in Anambra State.

Nnalugha, who is also the Legal Adviser to Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Lagos State Chapter, however, warned that the election must not be like the last Nigeria Bar Association National Election where Arthur Obi Okafor was in clear lead and from nowhere, a huge figure dropped and altered the election.

The lawyer, who spoke with newsmen during the week in Lagos, appealed to Ndi-Anambra to troop out en masse to vote, saying that if they refuse to go out and vote, the effect would be the emergence of an unpopular candidate. He also spoke on other issues. Excerpts:

Question: Anambra governorship election is just few days away. What is your take?

Barr. Nnalugha: Well, Anambra governorship election is just few days away and there has been a lot of gerrymandering by the contestants and even the party faithful. A lot of them have been jumping from one party to another, looking for where it would favour them.

But the bottom line is who will salvage the state both economically and infrastructurally. Anambra state appears to have lost the glory it gained in the past with regard to good governance, even though it can still stand tall among the other states.

The candidates have shown deep knowledge of the problems bedeviling the state. But that has always been the way of Nigerian politicians. The ball is now in the court of Ndi-Anambra to choose who would govern them in the next four years.

I have said it before and I want to still say it again, that what we need is a practical person who has the capacity to tackle the problems that we have from the root. If you look at their agenda, they are all the same and even the repetition of the past candidates’ manifestoes. They all are promising the same thing, which is the good of the state. But we need the person who would walk the talk. We need the candidate with experience and contact to attract foreign revenue, so, that the economy of the state would open and people would begin to get jobs.

From your observations, do you think INEC is really prepared to conduct the Anambra election?

Well, INEC appears to be inconsistent with their statements concerning the election. I hope that would not affect the election. INEC, had in one breadth, told the nation that the possibility of the election holding cannot be guaranteed and, in another breadth, said that they are ready for the election. But what has made them so ready is what we don’t know and I am wishing them the best of luck.

However, I want INEC to use the November 6, as a test case for  the electronic transmission of election results. INEC should make sure that all gadgets and transmitters are powered and with backups. They should use the election to tell Nigerians that, at least, we have capacity for credible election.

I have said it over time that our problem is not making laws, but the implementation. So, INEC should be ready to show that there will be accurate result from the polling units. They should also make sure that their website would not be hacked like the previous NBA election when Chief Arthur Obi Okafor was already leading and suddenly a fairly huge figure dropped and altered the equation.

What advice do you have for Ndi-Anambra?

They should make sure that they go out to vote, because if they don’t go to vote, an unpopular candidate will be imposed on them. They should not only go out to vote, they should also stay to protect their votes and for the security agencies, the Inspector General of Police has done what he should do in order to maintain security during the election. But the Police should be careful with the electorates Police should not frighten the voters who will come out to vote. As far as I am concerned, the number of security agents that have been deployed for the election is big enough to maintain peace and also checkmate any form of electoral malpractice.

Therefore, if the security agencies can be truly professional, they have a good number to ensure a very successful election.