Copyright persecondnews
With only 11 days before the November 8, 2025 Anambra governorship poll, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has reaffirmed its commitment to delivering a free, fair, and credible vote across the state. The commission’s week‑long readiness assessment, which covered logistics, technology, security, and voter outreach, confirmed that all critical arrangements are in place for a smooth exercise. The INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN) told the Inter‑Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) meeting in Abuja: “Following our comprehensive readiness assessment across the state, INEC is confident of its full preparedness for the polls.” He added: “Although we encountered some network challenges during the mock accreditation exercise in 12 polling units, efforts are underway to ensure a seamless election on November 8. We are ready for large‑scale deployment.” Persecondnews reports that INEC will deploy roughly 24,000 ad‑hoc staff across 5,718 of the state’s 5,720 polling units – voting will not take place in two units lacking registered voters. Results will be collated at 326 ward centres, 21 local government collation points, and finally at the State Collation Centre in Awka. The commission also announced an extension of Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection from October 29 to November 2, 2025, after only 63.9 % of registered voters had retrieved their cards. Security agencies, including the police, DSS, NSCDC, and the military, have pledged heavy deployment and coordinated patrols before, during, and after the poll. Transport arrangements are also set, with 200 buses and 83 boats hired after agreements with NATO, NURTW, and MWUN to move personnel and materials. Amupitan lauded the security agencies for their crucial role in securing the environment, emphasizing that their efforts were vital, making elections possible in locations where they otherwise could not have been held. On vote buying, the INEC chair warned sternly against vote buying, saying “Any attempt to induce voters before or during the Anambra election must be resisted and curtailed. We must join hands to combat vote buying and uphold the values of democracy.” Mr. Hassan Abdullahi, representing the National Security Adviser, affirmed robust security measures, enhanced surveillance, and intelligence‑driven operations to safeguard voters, officials, and materials, while urging political actors to shun violence.
