Anambra guber poll: INEC warns against votes buying, deploys 24,000 personnel

*Hires 200 buses, 83 boats for election

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has warned, sternly, that any attempt to induce voters before or during the November 8 Anambra governorship election must be resisted and curtailed.

The Chairman of INEC, Prof Joash Amupitan gave the warning on Tuesday at the meeting he held with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.

This is even as Amupitan revealed that the commission plans to deploy 24,000 personnel for the election that will be held in 5,718 of the 5,720 Polling Units in the state;

The INEC Chairman disclosed that voting will not take place in the remaining two Polling Units due to the absence of registered voters.

Results of the election, he said, will be collated at 326 Ward centres, 21 Local Government Area centres, and finally at the State Collation Centre in Awka.

While warning that any attempt to induce voters before or during the Anambra gubernatorial election must be resisted and curtailed, Amupitan stressed the need for all to join hands to combat the menace of vote buying.

The INEC Chairman said, “We would like to warn that any attempt to induce voters before or during the Anambra election must be resisted and curtailed.

“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. “Security agents cannot afford to create an environment that allows vote buyers to operate during the Anambra election. “Together, let us combat vote buying, uphold the values of democracy and work relentlessly for the credibility of our elections.

“The path ahead may be challenging, but if we stand united, there is nothing we cannot achieve”, he declared.

Continuing, the INEC Chairman said, “We plan to deploy 24,000 personnel. The election will be held in 5,718 of the 5,720 Polling Units in the state; voting will not take place in the remaining two Polling Units due to the absence of registered voters.

“Results will be collated at 326 Ward centres, 21 Local Government Area centres, and finally at the State Collation Centre in Awka.

“Due to the report of the high-powered delegation of four National Commissioners to Anambra State that only 63.9% of the voters collected their PVC, the Commission met yesterday (Monday) and decided to extend the ongoing collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in Anambra State, starting from Wednesday, 29th October, until Sunday, 2nd November 2025.

“This extension is aimed at ensuring all eligible voters can collect their cards at the designated collection centres across the 326 Registration Areas (Wards) in Anambra State”, he stressed .

The Chairman explained that the

mandate of INEC is to conduct credible elections, saying, “and we are determined that no eligible voter should be disenfranchised”.

The security agencies, he noted, have played a crucial role in securing the environment, without which the conduct of elections would be impossible in certain locations.

He added, “To ensure every logistical, security, and operational detail for the successful election in Anambra is covered, a high-level ICCES meeting was held in the state itself.

“During this meeting, security chiefs provided updates on operations and flashpoint monitoring. Representatives of the Police, DSS, NSCDC, and the military collectively assured the readiness team of heavy deployments and coordinated patrols before, during, and after the election.

“Our mission remains ensuring that every logistical, security, and operational element required for the Anambra election is perfectly in place.

“To achieve this, synergy among all security agencies is non-negotiable, particularly at a time when the credibility of our elections is paramount.

“We have also concluded arrangements with the transport Unions- (National Association of Transport Owners (NATO), the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and Maritime Union Workers of Nigeria (MUWN) and have hired 200 Buses and 83 Boats to ensure seamless transportation of poll officers and sensitive materials”, Amupitan disclosed.