Anambra poll: What voters need to know ahead of Saturday election.

The governorship election in Anambra State is finally poised to begin, with 18 political parties vying for one seat.

Although Prof Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, warned that not all polling units would have voters, the procedure is likely to go place across the state’s 21 Local Government Areas.

The state has a population of 4,055,048, but only 2,525,471 people have registered to vote in Saturday’s election, according to the 2006 Census.

According to an information sheet provided by INEC, the election will hold with adherence to COVID-19 protocols, with the over 2.5 million voters expected to wear facemasks to their various polling units. Voting commences at 8:30 am and ends at 2:30 pm.

The information sheet reads, “There shall be two queues – one inside and one outside the polling area. You will be called from the outer queue into the voting area in batches.

“By 2:30 pm, the outer queue shall close, but you will vote if you are already in the queue.

“Maintain order while in the queue and keep a distance of two metres (six feet) from other people.”

Voters are also required to show their voter cards to election officials whenever requested.

“After you cast your vote, move away from the voting area. You may observe the counting of votes and announcement of result from a designated area.”

INEC also instructed voters that “cell phones or any other device that can take pictures is still not allowed in the voting cubicles.”

They are also mandated to “obey all directives issued by election officials and be orderly at all times.”

“INEC shall not tolerate assault of any election official and you may be prosecuted for doing so.”