The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan (SAN), has assured that the Anambra State off-cycle governorship election, the first under his leadership would be peaceful and credible.
Prof. Amupitan gave the assurance on Monday during the signing of the Peace Accord, convened by the National Peace Committee (NPC) led by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, in Awka, Anambra State.
He applauded the NPC for its unwavering commitment to fostering peaceful elections in Nigeria, noting that the devolution of the Peace Accord to off-cycle governorship elections has been a critical factor in reducing electoral tensions and violence.
“After witnessing the success of the Peace Accord at the national level, the NPC graciously agreed, five years ago, to our request to devolve its signing… This became necessary given the tensions and violence that have accompanied some past elections,” he noted.
He revealed that INEC has fine-tuned deployment plans for 24,000 personnel and election materials across the state’s 5,718 Polling Units and hundreds of collation centres.
“Voters should therefore expect a significant improvement in Election Day logistics,” he affirmed.
The Commission has approved a final register of 2,802,790 eligible voters and extended the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) until Sunday, November 2, to ensure maximum participation. The Chairman also reaffirmed INEC’s resolve to firmly combat vote-buying, warning that “any individuals or groups planning to subvert the will of the people will be firmly confronted within the strong hands of the law.”
On the critical issue of security, the INEC Chairman disclosed that the Inter-agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) has instituted robust measures. He confirmed that the Nigeria Police Force will deploy 45,000 personnel and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps will deploy 10,250 officers to secure the electoral process.
Recall that the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, on Sunday advised the INEC Chair, Amupitan, to be fair and credible in the conduct of the forthcoming off cycle election in Anambra state.
Atiku said the election which is scheduled for November 8, 2025 offers a unique opportunity to end the era of poor governance in the state.
He said the electoral empire is to also ensure that the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) does not get the chance of practicing its notoriety of snatching and running away with the mandate of the people.
He urged the electorates in Anambra, to rally round the candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nwosu Chima John and Nwobu Geoffrey Ndubisi to lead Anambra State to a new era of prosperity and economic stability.
According to him, the election is an opportunity for the electoral umpire under the leadership of Prof. Joash Amupitan, SAN, to prove to the world that it has turned a new page, and that the integrity of our election would not be sacrificed for the satisfaction of the ruling party.
“It is therefore important that every registered voter in Anambra not only determines to vote, but must mobilize huge support for the candidate of the ADC.
“Anambra is a place with so much good history about our great country. I believe that yet again, Ndi Anambra will open the chapter of a new beginning in Nigeria where the African Democratic Congress (ADC) would bring lasting prosperity, peace and stability to our country,” he noted.
