The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Joash Amupitan (SAN), has cautioned political actors against vote-buying ahead of the November 8 governorship election in Anambra State, assuring Nigerians that the commission is fully prepared to conduct a free, fair and credible election.
Amupitan gave the warning on Tuesday during the meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) held at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.
He stated that INEC, in collaboration with security and anti-graft agencies, would not tolerate any form of voter inducement, describing the act as a major threat to Nigeria’s democratic process.
"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 said.
Reasserting his commitment to credible polls, the INEC boss said the forthcoming election marked "a new chapter" for the commission under his leadership.
"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 said.
Amupitan disclosed that the commission had addressed most of the network challenges encountered during the mock accreditation exercise held last weekend across 12 polling units in six local government areas of Anambra State.
The exercise was conducted to test the efficiency of the upgraded Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
"Although we encountered some network issues, efforts are underway to ensure a seamless exercise on November 8. The commission is ready for large-scale deployment on Election Day," he said.
According to him, about 24,000 INEC officials will 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.
To ensure that no eligible voter is disenfranchised, Amupitan announced that the collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) had been extended from Wednesday, October 29, to Sunday, November 2.
"We are determined that no eligible voter should be disenfranchised," he said.
The INEC chairman also commended the nation’s security agencies for their collaboration in election preparations, describing inter-agency synergy as crucial to maintaining public trust 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.
On logistics, Amupitan revealed that the commission had concluded agreements with transport unions, including the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, for the movement of election personnel and materials.
"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, Hassan Abdullahi, brought together heads of security, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies to fine-tune strategies for a hitch-free poll.
Amupitan declared hope that collective commitment among stakeholders would make the Anambra election a model for transparency and integrity.
"The path ahead may be challenging, but if we stand united, there is nothing we cannot achieve," he said.
INEC disclosed that about 2.8 million registered voters are expected to participate in the Anambra governorship election.
Out of the 13 activities in the commission’s election timetable, 11 have been completed, while political campaigns are scheduled to end on November 6.
The BVAS technology, first deployed during the 2023 general elections, will again play a central role in authenticating voters and transmitting results electronically through the IReV portal, a system INEC disclosed has now been strengthened to ensure greater reliability ahead of the Anambra poll.
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