The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Anambra State has identified violence and card reader failure as the core challenges it faced during the elections.

This was made known on Thursday during the review of the conduct of the 2019 general elections, which was attended by collation officers, electoral officers and assistant electoral officers from all the 21 Local Government Areas of the state, as well as facilitators from the INEC headquarters in Abuja.

Addressing the participants on behalf of the INEC National Commissioner in charge of Enugu, Anambra and Benue states, Chief Festus Okoye, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Nkwachukwu Orji, said that this year was the third time the commission carried out the review exercise since the return of the current democratic dispensation.

He said that the issues would be addressed to ensure better exercise in subsequent elections.

The participants used the occasion to narrate their experiences during the polls, even as many observed that the failure of card readers, violence in many polling units and collation centers, as well as pressures from outside the commission, almost disrupted the election despite adequate preparations.

While saying that the views of the participants would guide the commission in preparing for future elections, Orji urged INEC officials to state all the interference they encountered in the course of the polls.

Subsequently, 42 items that affected the 2019 were considered by the participants and contributions were made on ways to improve conduct of future elections in the country.

Mrs. Pricilla Ezeigwe, a facilitator from INEC headquarters, Abuja assured the participants that their recommendations would form part of the preparations for future elections, even as she hailed INEC in Anambra State for doing a great work.

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