Yiaga Africa urges INEC to improve logistics, deployment
Twenty political parties will go to the polls to elect the governor of Anambra State tomorrow, November 8, 2025. The flag bearer of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Prof. Chukwuma Soludo and his rival in the All Progressives Congress (APC) are tipped to go for a tough fight, amid claims of possible upset by the other contenders.
Soludo, it was learnt, enjoys the incumbency factor as the state governor, while Nicholas Ukachukwu appears to have a ‘Federal Might’ incumbency advantage, being an APC candidate.
Apart from Soludo and Ukachukwu, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Information Kit for the 2025 Anambra State Governorship Election listed 18 political parties for the poll.
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, who was represented by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Ben Okolo, at the Anambra State Peace Accord and INEC Chairman’s Meeting with the party’s candidates, chairmen and stakeholders, said 45,000 policemen and officers would be part of the election to prevent rigging, as they are ready to arrest and prosecute electoral offenders.
A statement by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Tochukwu Ikenga and made available to newsmen, stated the CP reiterated the total ban on all vigilante groups, such as Agunechemba and all other quasi-security groups in the State, as only the Federal Government security agencies are authorised to provide election security duties as provided by the laws of the federation.
MEANWHILE, the European Union (EU) has deployed 687 election observers to monitor Saturday’s governorship election in Anambra State. The organisation reaffirmed its commitment to credible, peaceful, and inclusive electoral processes in Nigeria through the EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) programme.
It explained that through the EU-SDGN programme, it is enabling its civil society partners to deploy election observers, strengthen peacebuilding, advance disability and gender inclusion, counter misinformation, and reinforce public confidence in the democratic process.
Seven of the 16 EU-SDGN implementing partners, including 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 on the ground in Anambra State.
The EU explained that these partners are operating from a Unified Election Observation Hub designed to ensure coherence, message alignment, and shared visibility throughout the poll.
The EU cohort said: “The key feature of this unified deployment is to obtain a broad view of the election by utilising the diverse skills and experience of the EU-SDGN partners, analysing the findings, and compiling them into a comprehensive report that will be made public and available to all stakeholders.
HOWEVER, Yiaga Africa has called on INEC to intensify oversight of election logistics and deployment. It also urged the Commission to ensure strict supervision of transport companies responsible for moving election materials and personnel.
These were contained in a statement yesterday, signed by the Chair of the 2025 Anambra Election Mission, Dr Asmau Maikudi, and Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo.
The recommendations were addressed to the electoral body, security agencies, political parties, as well as civil society organisations (CSOs) and the media.
