By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has announced that it is 99 percent ready for the November 8, 2025 Anambra governorship election, with assurances that there will be no delay in the arrival of electoral materials at polling units across the state.
The INEC National Commissioner supervising Anambra and Chairman of the Tenders Board Committee, Dr. Kenneth Ikeagu, gave the assurance on Saturday while briefing newsmen at the Commission’s State Headquarters in Awka, during which he also entertained questions on the Commission’s preparedness for the barely two-weeks-away off-cycle election.
He was flanked by the State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dr. Queen Elizabeth Agwu, and top national officials of the Commission, including the National Commissioner in charge of Electoral Operations and Logistics, Dr. Baba Bila; National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr. Sam Olumekun, mni; and National Commissioner and Chairperson of Planning, Monitoring and Strategy Committee, Prof. Rhoda Gumus, during the briefing.
Dr. Ikeagu explained that the visit of the national team to Anambra was part of the Commission’s readiness assessment exercise, which began on Monday, October 22.
Since arriving the state, he said, the delegation had been engaged in a series of pre-election activities, including monitoring of voter card collection, meeting with Electoral Officers, transport unions, and the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), as well as overseeing the mock accreditation exercise held across selected polling units.
According to him, INEC has completed almost every aspect of preparation for the governorship poll, with both sensitive and non-sensitive materials already produced and stored under secure conditions. He disclosed that all non-sensitive materials have been distributed to the local government offices, while sensitive materials such as ballot papers and result sheets will be delivered 48 hours before the election in line with the Commission’s standard protocol.
On logistics, Dr. Ikeagu said all arrangements have been finalized with the transport unions and vehicle owners to guarantee smooth deployment of personnel and materials. He confirmed that sufficient vehicles (and boats for the riverine areas) have been secured for mobility, stressing that the Commission has the resources and capacity to mobilize everything needed for timely commencement of voting.
He further revealed that, under the new arrangement, all drivers, security officers, and poll officials will spend the night before the election at the Registration Area Centres (RACs) to ensure early movement to the polling units by 7:00 a.m. He maintained that polling must begin at exactly 8:30 a.m., and that INEC will not tolerate any late arrival of officials or materials on election day.
Dr. Ikeagu also addressed questions raised by journalists on security, voter education, and Permanent Voter Card (PVC) collection. He assured that the Commission was working closely with all security agencies to guarantee a peaceful and safe environment before, during, and after the election. He confirmed that security formations have already identified flashpoints across the state, and additional personnel will be drawn from neighbouring states to complement local deployments.
While acknowledging the improved security situation in Anambra compared to previous election cycles, the National Commissioner appealed to residents to maintain peace, avoid conflicts, and cooperate fully with security agencies to ensure a smooth process. “Security is everyone’s business,” he emphasized, noting that citizens have an equal role in preventing actions that could disrupt the poll.
Reacting to concerns about the recent abduction of three INEC staff in Kogi State, Dr. Ikeagu clarified that the incident did not occur in Anambra and was not a targeted attack against the Commission’s personnel in particularly. He described it as an unfortunate case of random highway kidnapping, adding that the security agencies are already handling the matter.
On voter education, the Commission admitted that more sensitization is still needed, especially at the grassroots, to reduce voter apathy and prevent misinformation. He called for increased media support in disseminating accurate information about INEC’s activities, emphasizing that voter enlightenment should be a shared responsibility among all stakeholders.
Dr. Ikeagu also confirmed that the distribution of new PVCs from the recently concluded Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise is ongoing across 326 designated collection centers in the state. He explained that card collection is strictly on individual basis and cannot be done by proxy, as voters must personally collect their cards by themselves to avoid manipulation. He further encouraged residents who have not collected theirs to do so before the deadline, which, according to him, remains 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 26, unless otherwise extended by the Commission’s National Headquarters.
Addressing inquiries about the mock accreditation, he said the exercise, held earlier in the day, was successful and confirmed the functionality of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices across all selected areas. He also revealed that transport providers had signed binding agreements with the Commission, and any breach of contract on election day would attract sanctions.
On the issue of safety for journalists and ad-hoc staff, Dr. Ikeagu assured that the Commission is liaising with security agencies to guarantee the protection of all accredited media practitioners and election workers during the poll. He reaffirmed that all ad-hoc officials are covered by an insurance policy that provides compensation in the event of injury or death while on duty. Though he did not disclose the package to the journalists.
The Commission also dismissed any fears of cancellation or postponement of the election as any particular area or part of the state, declaring that voting will take place in all 5,720 polling units across the state, except two that have no registered voters.
Concluding, and making reference to the new Leadership of INEC under Prof. Joash Amupitan, Dr. Ikeagu reassured that INEC is fully determined to deliver a free, fair, and credible election that will reflect the will of the people of Anambra State.
