By Kayode Ataba
Thus, senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central Senatorial District, has lauded the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its improved performance and transparency during the just-concluded Anambra Governorship Election, describing the process as a remarkable improvement from previous polls.
This was reveal in an interactive session with newsmen in National Assembly Abuja on the performance and transparency of the Anambra Governorship Election which was held on Saturday, Senator Umeh who is a member of Labour Party (LP) expressed satisfaction with the smooth and efficient conduct of the election, noting that accreditation and voting took less than three minutes. He said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) worked seamlessly, leading to minimal complaints across polling units.
He added, the first time I did not receive any distress calls about malfunctioning BVAS or irregularities. The process was smooth, transparent, and credible. I score INEC high for this improvement.
In addition, the former National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) raised concerns about the lack of privacy at some polling booths, where voters were exposed while casting their ballots. He also condemned the prevalence of vote buying, describing it as a shameful practice that undermines the integrity of elections.
Umeh lamented that voters were allegedly selling their votes for as little as ₦10,000 to ₦15,000, calling it a “poor judgment” that mortgages their right to good governance ₦15,000 cannot sustain a family for 24 hours. Selling your vote for such an amount means you’ve sold your right to complain about bad governance for four years. It’s a dangerous culture that must be stopped,” he cautioned.
Furthermore, Umeh commended the performance of INEC, stated that transmission of results to the IReV portal, started by midnight, 97 percent of polling unit results had been uploaded a development he described as unprecedented transparency and said when I checked the IReV portal, I saw that all results had been uploaded across wards and local governments. This shows INEC’s commitment to credible elections,
Moreso, Senator Umeh urge Nigerian youths to embrace integrity and service in politics, emphasizing that genuine leadership and transparency are the foundations of sustainable democracy if you perform well in governance, you won’t need to bribe anyone to win elections. Nigerians appreciate good leadership when they see it,” he affirmed
