The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Joash Amupitan (SAN), has warned against vote-buying ahead of the November 8 governorship election in Anambra State, assuring that the commission is fully prepared to deliver a free, fair and credible poll.
Amupitan gave the assurance on Tuesday at the meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security held in Abuja.
Warning against voter inducement, Amupitan vowed that INEC would work closely with security and anti-graft agencies to curb the menace of vote-buying.
“We would like to warn that any attempt to induce voters before or during the Anambra election will be met with the full force of the law. Together, we must combat vote-buying, uphold the values of democracy, and work relentlessly for the credibility of our elections,” he cautioned.
Reaffirming his commitment to credible elections, the INEC Chairman said, “For INEC, this represents a new chapter. I wish to reiterate my personal commitment to delivering free, fair, and credible elections that genuinely reflect the will of the Nigerian people.”
He disclosed that INEC was taking urgent steps to resolve the network challenges encountered during last weekend’s mock accreditation exercise in the state.
The exercise was conducted to test the functionality of the upgraded Bimodal Voter Accreditation System and the efficiency of result transmission through the INEC Result Viewing Portal.
“We recently conducted a mock accreditation exercise in 12 selected polling units across six local government areas in Anambra State. Although we encountered some network issues, efforts are underway to ensure a seamless exercise on November 8, 2025. The commission is ready for large-scale deployment on Election Day,” he said.
Amupitan stated that about 24,000 INEC personnel would be deployed across 5,718 polling units, with results collated at 326 ward centres, 21 local government areas, and finally at the State Collation Centre in Awka.
On the issue of voter readiness, Amupitan disclosed that the commission had extended the collection of Permanent Voter Cards in Anambra from Wednesday, October 29 to Sunday, November 2, to allow more eligible voters to collect their cards.
“We are determined that no eligible voter should be disenfranchised,” he added.
The INEC boss commended security agencies for their collaboration in ensuring a peaceful electoral environment, stressing that inter-agency synergy was crucial to maintaining public confidence in the process.
“Synergy among all security agencies is non-negotiable, particularly at a time when the credibility of our elections is paramount,” he said.
He also revealed that the commission had finalised logistics arrangements with transport unions, including the National Association of Road Transport Owners, the National Union of Road Transport Workers, and the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, for the movement of election materials and personnel.
“We have hired 200 buses and 83 boats to ensure the smooth transportation of personnel and sensitive materials,” he said.
The meeting, co-chaired by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, represented by the Director of Internal Security in his office, Hassan Abdullahi, brought together top security, intelligence, and law enforcement officials to fine-tune strategies for a smooth and incident-free election.
Amupitan expressed optimism that collective commitment among stakeholders would make the Anambra governorship election a benchmark for electoral integrity.
“The path ahead may be challenging, but if we stand united, there is nothing we cannot achieve,” he said.
INEC noted that about 2.8 million registered voters are expected to participate in the election. Of the 13 activities on the timetable, 11 have already been concluded, with political campaigns ending on November 6 and the governorship poll scheduled for November 8.
The BVAS technology, introduced during the 2023 general elections, is designed to authenticate voters biometrically and transmit results electronically in real time via the IReV portal.
However, challenges experienced during the last general election prompted the commission to strengthen its systems ahead of the Anambra poll.
