By Okechukwu Okechukwu

Traditional Rulers and Presidents-General in Anambra State have vowed to partner the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) towards ensuring a credible poll on 2023 general elections.

The community leaders, who disclosed this at Awka during a meeting organised by the commission to brainstorm with the monarchs and presidents General from Anambra Central Senatorial districts, assured that they would secure the commission's facilities, offices and staff throughout the polls.

According to Chief Titus Akpudo, the President-General, Anambra State Association of Town Unions (ASATU), represented by his Vice (Anambra Central), Hon. Ikechukwu Offorkansi, PGs will also sensitise their subjects who were yet to collect their Permanent Voters'Cards (PVC) to go for theirs before the election.

Also speaking, the Traditional Ruler of Okpuno town, Awka South LGA, Igwe Simeon Okafor, who is Vice Chairman Central, Anambra State Traditional Rulers Council and representative of the Chairman of the Council (Obi Alfred Achebe), the monarchs value the sacrifices the commission was offering to salvage Nigeria, and would reciprocate by mobilising their subjects accordingly.

Earlier, the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Anambra state, Dr Queen Elizabeth Agwu, appealed for support of the community leaders in conducting credible polls, due to their observable influences and respects in the society.

"Security issue is localised. There is no community where the natives are unaware of identities of any criminal element among them. As community leaders, the INEC consider you as critical stakeholders.

" We trust that you can help provide adequate security to our facilities, staff, offices,, especially during elections. We are charging you to make adequate security arrangements that will guarantee smooth conduct of the 2023 general elections at your communities, " she pleaded.

She also appealed to community leaders to sensitise their people who participated on the recently concluded Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise to collect their Permanent Voters'Cards (PVC) across the 21 Council Areas.

According to her, the state has taken delivery of additional 283,431 PVCs excluding the 132,626 PVCs earlier received and shifted to 21 Local Governments Areas (LGAs) for distributions.

The REC, however, warned that the commission would surely prosecute whoever would be caught buying or selling PVCs, even as she enjoined electorate to safeguard theirs to avoid been disfranchised, because according to her, "PVCs are highly valued and that is why they are buying them from their owners to disenfranchise those people they purchased their PVCs."