The Imo State Independent Electoral Commission (ISIEC) has assured Imo State residents that the upcoming local government elections, which are scheduled for September 21 across the state’s 27 LGAs, will be free, fair, and peaceful.
During a stakeholders’ meeting on how to achieve a credible election, Charles Ejiogu, Chairman of the Commission, gave the assurance to participants.
Ejiogu said the approaching survey will be the fifth time such an activity has occurred in the state since the re-enthronement of vote based administration in 1999, with past races held in 1999, 2004, 2010, and 2018.
While highlighting the significance of the exercise, the boss of ISIEC maintained that the third level of government is still the foundation for even development in rural areas and the only source of growing democratic elements at the grassroots.
He stated that the Commission was established in 2000 by a law that was later amended by Law No. 14, ISIEC is enabled with the obligations of directing and managing free, straightforward, and trustworthy nearby government board decisions in the state.
“In this regard, ISIEC has scheduled the much-anticipated council elections for Saturday, September 21, 2024, in the 305 Registration Areas/Wards and all 4,758 polling units in the 27 Local Government Area Councils of Imo State.
“Thusly, the Commission is making a move to guarantee all basic partners of its readiness to play out its protected obligation.
“The present partners’ gathering is to deliver political race rules and a schedule as a component of the exercises that will at last attendant in the rise of 27 democratically elected Council Chairmen, their Deputies, and 305 Councilors,” he said.
The ISIEC Chairman went on to say that preparations are being made for the recruitment of ad-hoc personnel, which will include both internal and field ad-hoc personnel.
When it comes to security, he said that the Commission is aware of the need to implement watertight security. He mentioned that they are in contact with heads of security agencies to ensure that the exercise goes off without a hitch and will do everything in their power to do so. He also said that adequate logistics and ground power will be set up because they are crucial to the successful conduct of the upcoming council elections.
In addition, Chief Ejiogu emphasised the Commission’s ongoing efforts to educate and mobilize key stakeholders and informed them that meetings with traditional rulers, general presidents, political leaders, and other relevant bodies are still on schedule.
“We are also collaborating with other democratic institutions like the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and we are pleased with their level of support up to this point, even as we anticipate more of the same. The security organizations have likewise guaranteed us of their preparation to deliver essential help. We cannot take any of the voluntary organizations for granted,” he stated. “The voluntary agencies are not left out in this regard.”
He also mentioned how important the media will be in the next exercise and said that stakeholders and established strategic partners are still the fourth estate of the country.
In a similar vein, the boss of ISIEC took advantage of the situation to praise the governor for creating the opportunity for the exercise to take place and to reassure him that he would carry out the task that had been assigned to him.
Heads of security agencies, sole administrators of the state’s 27 LGAs, political leaders, traditional rulers, presidents general, civil society organizations, market women, youth groups, and religious leaders were all in attendance at the meeting.
