Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Joash Amupitan, has warned that any attempt to induce voters before or during the November 8, 2025, Anambra governorship election will be firmly resisted by the commission and security agencies.
Barely ten days to the November 8 governorship election in Anambra State, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has disclosed that it would deploy 24,000 personnel for the election.
This is as the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Joash Amupitan, warned that any attempt to induce voters before or during the election will be firmly resisted.
Amupitan gave the warning on Tuesday in Abuja while addressing a meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), held at INEC headquarters.
Co-chairing the meeting with the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, the INEC Chairman stated that the Commission was fully prepared for the polls.
He assured that every logistical and operational detail had been addressed in collaboration with security agencies and transport unions.
The newly appointed INEC Chairman also revealed that voting would take place in 5,718 of the 5,720 polling units in Anambra. He noted that the remaining two polling units had no registered voters.
Amupitan stated that results will be collated at 326 ward centres, 21 local council centres, and finally at the state collation centre in Awka.
According to him, INEC had extended the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in the State from October 29 to November 2, 2025. This, he said, followed reports that only 63.9 per cent of registered voters had collected their cards.
Warning against vote-buying, Amupitan said: “We must join hands to combat the menace of vote-buying. The Commission is pleased with our collaboration with law enforcement agencies, especially the anti-graft agencies. We will work with them to stop vote-buyers from contaminating our electoral process,” he said.
Speaking at the event, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, assured voters that any form of violence during the elections would be met with a strong, uncompromising response. He pointed out that the Federal Government had put robust security measures in place for the poll
Represented by the Director, Directorate of Internal Security, DIS, Office of the NSA, Hassan Abdullahi, the security Adviser stated that security agencies were fully committed to fulfilling President Bola Tinubu’s directive on the strategic mobilization of security forces during the electoral period.
He said, “As we prepare for the Anambra State governorship election, we have put in place robust security measures. These include enhanced surveillance, deployment of sufficient security personnel, and improved intelligence gathering. These are to prevent any attempt by disruptive elements or desperate politicians to undermine the electoral process.
“Moreover, we are proactively engaging with political party leaders and local stakeholders to send a clear message that violence will not be tolerated in our elections.”