Reported by: Ime Richard Aondofa | Edited by: Henry Owen
The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, has reaffirmed the Commission’s full readiness to conduct a transparent, credible, and peaceful governorship election in Anambra State scheduled for Saturday, November 8, 2025.
Speaking at the Anambra State Governorship Election Stakeholders’ Meeting held in Awka, the INEC Chairman cautioned political parties, candidates, and voters against vote-buying and other electoral malpractices, warning that the Commission will not hesitate to sanction anyone found violating the law.
Professor Amupitan said the engagement was part of INEC’s long-standing commitment to inclusivity and transparency, and noted that it was customary for such meetings to be jointly addressed by the INEC Chairman and the Inspector-General of Police to brief the public on election preparedness and security plans.
He explained that preparations for the Anambra governorship election commenced in 2024 with the publication of the timetable and schedule of activities, in line with the Electoral Act 2022. Of the 13 statutory activities outlined by the Commission, 11 have been successfully completed, leaving only the close of campaigns on Thursday, November 6, and the election proper on Saturday, November 8.
INEC, according to Amupitan, has published the final list of candidates and running mates from 16 participating political parties, with five parties making lawful substitutions under Section 33 of the Electoral Act.
He revealed that the final voter register for the election stands at 2,802,790 voters, following an extensive clean-up process. Out of 168,187 new registrations, 27,817 invalid multiple entries were removed using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), leaving 140,370 valid new voters. Additionally, 5,983 voters transferred their registration within the state.
The Chairman announced that the deadline for Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection was extended to November 2, and that all uncollected PVCs from the 21 local government areas had been moved to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for safekeeping until after the polls.
In a major step toward inclusion, Professor Amupitan disclosed that INEC, in partnership with TAFAfrica, will deploy sign language interpreters across polling units to assist 3,456 registered voters with disabilities, calling it a landmark achievement in the nation’s electoral process.
He also confirmed the accreditation of 114 domestic observer groups and 76 media organizations, with over 500 journalists and thousands of party agents set to monitor voting activities across 5,718 polling units, 326 ward collation centers, 21 local government collation centers, and the state collation center in Awka.
Amupitan assured that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) will be deployed for authentication and electronic result transmission via the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV). A successful mock accreditation exercise had already been conducted in 12 polling units across six local government areas to strengthen system reliability.
On logistics, the INEC Chairman said the Commission had secured 2,233 buses and 83 boats from NATO, NURTW, and the Maritime Union Workers of Nigeria for the transport of election officials and sensitive materials. He added that political parties would, as usual, inspect sensitive materials at the CBN office in Awka before distribution.
Commending all sixteen political parties for signing the Peace Accord facilitated by the National Peace Committee, Amupitan called for maturity, discipline, and restraint among political actors and their supporters, stressing that violence, hate speech, and vote-buying would not be tolerated.
He expressed appreciation to Nigeria’s security agencies for their cooperation and reaffirmed that adequate measures were in place to protect election officials, observers, and voters on election day.
Concluding, the INEC Chairman urged Anambra citizens to come out en masse and vote peacefully, saying:
“Let us all say no to violence, no to intimidation, and no to vote-buying. Together, we can strengthen democracy and prove that credible elections are possible in Nigeria.”
Stone Reporter News
🌍 stonereportersnews.com | ✉️ info@stonereportersnews.com
📘 Facebook: Stone Reports | 🐦 X (Twitter): @StoneReportNew | 📸 Instagram: @stonereportersnews
Add comment
Comments