A Crucial Test for INEC Leadership
Exactly 16 days after assuming office, Professor Joash Ojo Amupitan, SAN, is set to face his first major test as the head of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) tomorrow. Voters in Anambra State will go to the polls in a governorship election, marking a significant moment in the state’s political landscape.
In his inaugural speech at the INEC headquarters in Abuja, shortly after being sworn in by President Bola Tinubu, Amupitan committed to delivering free, fair, and credible elections that reflect the true will of Nigerians. “It is with immense gratitude and a deep sense of responsibility that I stand before you today as your new Chairman. Our mandate is clear – to deliver free, fair and credible elections that reflect the will of the Nigerian people,” he declared.
During a peace accord signing event in Awka, where political parties fielding candidates in the state capital gathered, the INEC boss reaffirmed the commission’s readiness to ensure a credible, transparent, and peaceful election. “Our responsibility is to the people of this nation. We are fully prepared to deliver an election that is fair, credible, and reflective of the people’s will,” he said.
Amupitan has also disclosed that 24,000 personnel will be deployed by the commission during the election, which will take place in 5,720 wards spread across the 21 local government areas of the state. Additionally, a total of 60,000 security personnel drawn from the police, army, Air Force, and paramilitary agencies have been mobilized for the purpose of the election.
Both the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, have warned that the authorities would deal decisively with anyone or group that tries to disrupt the poll or foment trouble before, during, and after the election.
EU Observers Deployed for Credible Election
The European Union has deployed 687 civil society election observers across Anambra State ahead of Saturday’s governorship election, under its EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) programme. Laolu Olawumi, Programme Manager, Democracy, Rule of Law and Gender at the EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, in Abuja, stated that the deployment reflects the EU’s commitment to supporting credible, peaceful, and inclusive elections in Nigeria.
The EU-SDGN is an EU-funded, civil society-led initiative working to promote credible, inclusive, and peaceful elections across Nigeria, with partners advancing peace-building, media professionalism, women’s political participation, data-driven observation, and disability-inclusive electoral processes.
According to him, the EU-SDGN programme is enabling its civil society partners to monitor the poll, strengthen peacebuilding, advance disability and gender inclusion, counter misinformation, and reinforce public confidence in the process. He disclosed that seven of the programme’s 16 implementing partners: The Kukah Centre, Yiaga Africa, International Press Centre (IPC), Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), Nigeria Women Trust Fund (NWTF), ElectHER, and TAF Africa, are already operating in the state from a Unified Election Observation Hub designed to ensure coherence, message alignment, and shared visibility.
“A key feature of this unified deployment is that each partner contributes its expertise,” Olawumi explained. “The findings are analysed and compiled into a comprehensive report that will be made available to the public and all stakeholders.” He noted that the observers are spread across various thematic clusters, including election integrity and results verification; disability inclusion with trained observers and sign language interpreters; gender participation; media and misinformation tracking; peacebuilding; conflict prevention; and logistics monitoring, including the movement of sensitive materials.
“This is one of the most extensive civil society-led observer deployments ever recorded for a state election in Nigeria,” he said. “When the evidence from all clusters is merged, it offers a fuller and verifiable picture of the election that no single organisation could produce alone.”
Earlier in the week, the EU-SDGN programme supported the signing of the Anambra Election Peace Accord, which brought together all candidates and political parties. Olawumi said the accord should guide candidates’ conduct throughout the process. “The Peace Accord is not the conclusion but the beginning of responsibility,” he stressed. “Candidates must not only sign for peace but act peacefully and respect the will of the voters.”
The EU-SDGN also released a Joint Pre-Election Assessment Report analyzing the political climate, security risks, media environment, and levels of gender and disability inclusion. The report offered 66 recommendations to strengthen electoral credibility, voter access, and institutional preparedness.
Obi Calls for Credible Election and Against Vote-Buying
Former governor of Anambra, Mr Peter Obi, has urged the INEC, the national electoral umpire, to ensure a credible governorship election in the state on Saturday. Obi made the call on Wednesday while speaking with newsmen after a visit to the College of Nursing, Adazi Nnukwu, in Anaocha Local Government Area (LGA). He also visited the University on the Niger Teaching Hospital, Iyienu, Ogidi, in Idemili North LGA.
The 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate advised against vote-buying or other acts capable of compromising the outcome of the exercise. He described the gubernatorial candidates as his friends whom he respects, but noted that his loyalty remained with his party’s candidate, Dr George Moghalu.
“All those involved in the exercise, in one way or another, are my friends. I have respect for all of them. But as a member of the Labour Party, I’m supporting my party’s candidate, though not to the extent of vote buying or any other malpractice. Let everyone vote according to their conscience. All I want is a free, fair, and credible election,” he said.
Reacting to the issue of state creation, Obi described the plan as unnecessary, stressing that what Nigeria needs is to function effectively as a nation. “Creation of states is not our problem. We need to make Nigeria work first, not keep creating more states, ministries, and other structures,” he said.
Concerns Over Possible Security Threats
An election observing group, YIAGA Africa, has expressed concerns over possible security threats in six local government areas ahead of the Anambra State governorship election holding on Saturday. The council areas, according to Dr Asmau Maikudi, chairperson of the 2025 Anambra election mission, Yiaga Africa, who stated this in a press statement in Awka, on Wednesday, during a press conference, include Orumba North, Orumba South, Ogbaru, Ihiala, Nnewi South, and Aguata.
She said Yiaga Africa observed in its engagement across the 21 local government areas that a significant number of young people within the voting age were disinterested in registering as voters or participating in the election. Given this trend, and Anambra’s historical record of low voter turnout, there are serious concerns that the 2025 governorship election may witness turnout rates below 20 percent, further weakening electoral legitimacy.
According to her, Yiaga Africa will deploy a total of 250 stationary observers to a representative statistical sample of 250 polling units and 22 mobile observers in the 21 local government areas of the state, to enable the group to provide timely and accurate information on the conduct of accreditation, voting, and counting, as well as to independently verify the official results for the election as announced by INEC. If the announced results reflect the ballots cast at polling units, we will confirm the outcome.
Work-Free Day Declared for Civil Servants
The Anambra government has declared Friday a work-free day for civil servants ahead of Saturday’s governorship election in the state. This was contained in a statement by Mrs Theodora Igwegbe, the Head of Service (HOS), on Thursday in Awka. Igwegbe said that the work-free day was approved by Governor Chukwuma Soludo to enable civil servants to travel to their respective locations to participate in the election.
She said the gesture was to encourage the active participation of the state workforce in the electoral process. According to her, the electoral process is a civic duty and a vital contribution of the civil servants to good governance and democracy.