Ahead of the November 8 Anambra governorship election, the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN II) has called for the exclusion of non-statutory security outfits, including vigilantes, from election security roles.
It emphasised that there is no legal basis for non-state security outfits to participate in the conduct of the exercise.
The EU also called on security agencies and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be more proactive in detecting and apprehending offenders on election day.
However, these are part of the 66 recommendations of the EU partners, comprising 16 Nigerian civil society organisations.
Executive Director, International Press Centre (IPC), Lanre Arogundade, who spoke during a media briefing and presentation of Joint EU-SDGN II partners’ pre-election assessment report in Abuja, yesterday, raised the alarm that voter apathy, vote-buying, restriction of campaign activities due to insecurity, misuse of vigilante groups, as well as gender-blind media coverage, are of serious concern.
Arogundade, therefore, proposed urgent next steps to include enforcing strict penalties for vote buying with security agencies and the INEC officials being more proactive in detecting and apprehending offenders during campaigns and on election day, deploying election observers and security personnel to monitor and prevent voter suppression and establishing real-time election day verification desks to debunk fake news and premature result announcements, among others.
However, a report also underscored the need for stronger enforcement of electoral laws, improved coordination among security agencies, and enhanced voter education campaigns to discourage vote-buying and the dissemination of misinformation.
It emphasised that the credibility of the Anambra election would not be judged merely by the votes counted but by the inclusivity and safety of the process
According to its findings, Anambra’s political atmosphere remained highly competitive, with the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the Labour Party (LP) emerging as major contenders.
The report flagged concerns about the fragility of electoral infrastructure, especially following incidents of violence during the recent August 2025 by-election.
The EU-SDGN partners urged the electoral body to improve its logistics operations, guarantee the prompt distribution of election materials, and deploy well-trained personnel to prevent disruptions. They emphasised that “transition plans must translate into field efficiency—elections should start on schedule, equipment must function properly, and every voter must have the opportunity to vote.”
The partners, therefore, proposed the creation of a state-level media-security desk with clear communication pathways to ensure accredited journalists can safely reach polling stations and collation centres.
