The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it is fully prepared for Saturday’s Anambra State governorship election, with 98.8% of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) collected, one of the highest collection rates in Nigeria’s electoral history.
Joash Amupitan, INEC Chairman, disclosed this during a press conference in Abuja on Thursday, following stakeholder engagements in Anambra. “Our mission is clear: to ensure that every vote counts, that the will of the people prevails, and that the process is peaceful and credible,” he said.
The Commission also deployed 60,000 security personnel to ensure a secure and transparent election, up from the initial 55,000 earlier announced. The team includes officers from the police, DSS, NDLEA, immigration service, and other security agencies.
At the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) branch in Awka, INEC officials began distributing sensitive election materials such as BVAS machines and forms EC8A and EC8B, under the supervision of party agents and security operatives. According to Queen Elizabeth Agwu, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, the materials are being sent to all Registration Area Centres (RACs) ahead of Saturday’s poll.
Anambra currently has 2,802,790 registered voters, but INEC expressed concern over voter apathy, noting turnout has dropped from 25.5 per cent in 2013 to 10.27 per cent in 2021. Amupitan urged citizens to “come out en masse and demonstrate the strength of democracy through peaceful participation.”
Abayomi Shogunle, the State’s Police Commissioner, emphasised that the large security deployment aims to “protect voters and officials, not intimidate them,” assuring that the election will be free, fair, and transparent.
Keywords: INEC, Anambra election 2025, PVC collection, security deployment, BVAS, voter turnout, Joash Amupitan.
