Nigeria’s Inspector-General of Police, IGP, Kayode Egbetokun, has announced the deployment of 45,000 personnel to Anambra State to ensure a peaceful, credible, and violence-free governorship election.
Egbetokun disclosed this during a meeting of the Independent National Electoral Commission with Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES, in Abuja on Tuesday.
He said the deployment would draw officers from commands across the country as part of comprehensive security arrangements for the November poll.
The announcement comes exactly 11 days to the November 8, 2025 governorship election in the state.
Represented by the Commissioner of Police in charge of Election, Abayomi Shogunle, the IGP said only personnel from federal security agencies accredited by ICCES will participate in election duties.
The Police Chief warned that vigilante groups and other state-backed outfits would not be allowed to play any role in the election.
He added that from November 1, tactical units would commence pre-election clearance operations to disarm and arrest individuals planning to cause unrest before or during the election.
He further announced that there would be restrictions on movement on election day, while all entry and exit points into Anambra State would be closely monitored to prevent the influx of troublemakers.
Egbetokun assured Nigerians that the Nigerian Police Force remains committed to providing a secure environment for the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and all eligible voters to freely exercise their franchise.
Earlier, the INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, declared the full readiness of the Commission for the November 8 election, assuring Nigerians of a transparent, credible, and peaceful poll.
Amupitan said the Commission had completed a comprehensive readiness assessment across the state and was satisfied with the level of preparedness.
He disclosed that 24,000 ad-hoc and permanent personnel would be deployed across 5,718 polling units in the 21 Local Government Areas of the state, adding that voting will not take place in two polling units due to the absence of registered voters.
According to him, INEC recently conducted a mock accreditation exercise in 12 polling units across six local councils using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, and despite minor network hitches, the technology performed satisfactorily.
The INEC Chairman further announced an extension of the Permanent Voter Card, PVC, collection exercise to Sunday, November 2, following reports that only 63.9 percent of registered voters had collected their cards.
According to him, the extension aims to ensure that no eligible voter is disenfranchised.
“We plan to deploy 24,000 personnel. The election will be held in 5,718 of the 5,720 Polling Units in the state; voting will not take place in the remaining two Polling Units due to the absence of registered voters.
“Results will be collated at 326 Ward centres, 21 Local Government Area centres, and finally at the State Collation Centre in Awka.
“Due to the report of the high-powered delegation of four National Commissioners to Anambra State that only 63.9% of the voters collected their PVC, the Commission met yesterday and decided to extend the ongoing collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in Anambra State, starting from today, Wednesday, 29th October, until Sunday, 2nd November 2025.
“This extension is aimed at ensuring all eligible voters can collect their cards at the designated collection centres across the 326 Registration Areas (Wards) in Anambra State. Our mandate is to conduct credible elections, and we are determined that no eligible voter should be disenfranchised,” he said.
On election logistics, Amupitan disclosed that INEC had concluded arrangements with the National Association of Road Transport Owners, NARTO, National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, and the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria, MWUN, to provide 200 buses and 83 boats for the smooth movement of election personnel and materials, particularly in riverine areas.
He commended the security agencies for their cooperation, adding that synergy among all law enforcement bodies was crucial to the success of the election.
He noted that the Police, DSS, NSCDC, and military had assured of heavy deployments and coordinated patrols before, during, and after the election.
Amupitan also issued a stern warning against vote buying, urging security and anti-graft agencies to clamp down on offenders.
He called on all stakeholders to resist inducement and protect the integrity of the electoral process.
“The path ahead may be challenging; but if we stand united, there is nothing we cannot achieve,” he said.
Also speaking, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, represented by the Director in charge of Internal Security, Hassan Abdullahi, reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring a peaceful and secure environment for the November 8 Anambra governorship election.
Ribadu said measures including enhanced surveillance, intelligence sharing, and deployment of adequate personnel have been put in place.
He warned political actors against violence, stressing that any attempt to disrupt the process would attract a firm response.
The NSA urged parties and supporters to uphold peace and protect the integrity of Nigeria’s democracy.
