INEC Chairman Issues Stern Warning Against Vote-Buying, Extends PVC Collection for Anambra Guber Poll

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has issued a strong warning against the practice of vote buying ahead of the Anambra State governorship election scheduled for November 8, 2025. The new Chairman of INEC, Prof. Joash Amupitan, delivered the warning on Tuesday at a meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) concerning the Anambra poll.

Dependable NG reports that the INEC Chairman used the platform to reiterate his personal commitment to delivering free, fair, and credible elections that genuinely reflect the will of the Nigerian people. He affirmed that following a week-long, comprehensive readiness assessment conducted across the state by the Commission, INEC is fully prepared for the polls. However, he disclosed that the Commission encountered temporary network issues while recently conducting a Mock Accreditation Exercise in 12 selected polling units across 6 Local Government Areas of the State, using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS). He assured the committee and the public that all necessary steps are being taken to resolve these technical challenges to achieve stress-free elections on the main day.

Providing crucial updates on logistics, Prof. Amupitan confirmed that results will be collated sequentially, starting at the 326 Ward centres, moving up to the 21 Local Government Area centres, and finally culminating at the State Collation Centre in Awka. In a major announcement aimed at improving voter turnout, the INEC boss revealed that a report from a high-powered delegation of four National Commissioners to Anambra State indicated that only 63.9% of registered voters had collected their PVCs. Due to this low collection rate, the Commission met on Monday and decided to extend the ongoing collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in the state. The PVC collection will commence from today, Wednesday, October 29, and run until Sunday, November 2, 2025. Amupitan stressed the Commission’s mandate, stating: “Our mandate is to conduct credible elections, and we are determined that no eligible voter should be disenfranchised.”

He further detailed the extensive logistical arrangements, confirming that arrangements have been concluded with the transport Unions, including the National Association of Transport Owners (NATO), the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and the Maritime Union Workers of Nigeria (MUWN). These partnerships have led to the hiring of 200 Buses and 83 Boats to ensure the seamless transportation of poll officers and sensitive materials across the state’s diverse terrain. Prof. Amupitan emphasized that the Anambra election must aim for “even better coordination,” charging everyone present at the ICCES meeting to work tirelessly towards this goal. He concluded with a stern final warning: “We would like to warn that any attempt to induce voters before or during the Anambra election must be resisted and curtailed. Security agents cannot afford to create an environment that allows vote buyers to operate during the Anambra election. Together, let us combat vote buying, uphold the values of democracy and work relentlessly for the credibility of our elections.”