The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said on Tuesday that it had deployed over 6,000 card reader machines to ensure smooth conduct of the November 18 Anambra governorship election.

Mr Charles Mbanaja, INEC Administrative Secretary in Anambra State, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka.

Mbanaja said that out of the machines provided 5,000 had been tested and found to be in good working condition.

The secretary assured stakeholders of the readiness of the commission to provide a level playing ground to in all candidates participating in the election and urged politicians to play by the rules.

He said INEC had embarked on public enlightenment to sensitise the people on the electoral processes, especially the voting system to address re-occurring cases of invalid votes and other related electoral shortcomings during the election.

Mbanaja said that the commission had also organised a voters’ education forum, which was attended by stakeholders in the electoral process in a bid to ensure smooth conduct of the polls.

He called on the people of the state to cooperate with the INEC to ensure that the election was hitch free, free, fair and acceptable. (NAN)