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.  He disclosed that the commission would deploy 24,000 personnel for the election.

This was as 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, saying the Federal Government had put robust security measures in place for the poll.

Amupitan gave the warning yesterday in Abuja at the meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), held at INEC headquarters.

The INEC boss, who co-chairs ICCES alongside the NSA, said 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 Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) revealed that voting would take place in 5,718 of the 5,720 polling units in Anambra, noting that the remaining two had no registered voters.

According to him, results will be collated at 326 ward centres, 21 local council centres, and finally at the state collation centre in Awka. INEC, he disclosed, had extended the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in the state from October 29 to November 2, 2025, following reports that only 63.9 per cent of registered voters had collected their cards.

On 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, to stop vote-buyers from contaminating our electoral process.”

REPRESENTED by the Director, Directorate of Internal Security, Office of the NSA, Hassan Abdullahi, the NSA said security agencies were fully committed to fulfilling President Bola Tinubu’s directive on the strategic mobilisation 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 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.”