The Anambra Election Observation Hub, a coalition of seven civil society organizations, has commended the peaceful and transparent conduct of the 2025 Anambra State Governorship Election while expressing concern over persistent vote-buying, late commencement of polls in some areas, and low voter turnout.
The Hub presented its Joint Final Statement on Saturday, November 8, at the Radisson-Onyx Hotel, Awka. The coalition was established to provide a comprehensive and independent assessment of the quality, integrity, inclusivity, and media freedom of the election.
Its members include Yiaga Africa, The Kukah Centre, International Press Centre, Centre for Media and Society, Nigeria Women Trust Fund, ElectHER, and TAF Africa.
Through a novel multi-stakeholder and multi-methodological approach, the Hub deployed 711 citizen observers across all 21 local government areas of Anambra State, each organization focusing on specific thematic pillars such as election integrity, results verification, election security, disability inclusion, gender participation, peacebuilding, misinformation tracking, and media safety.
Improved logistics, orderly conduct
The Hub noted that the 2025 election was largely peaceful, with visible professionalism among electoral and security officials contributing to an orderly process. Logistics improved considerably compared to previous election cycles, though challenges persisted.
INEC officials arrived at 49% of polling units by 7:30 a.m., a notable improvement from 28% in 2017 and 17% in 2021. However, the figure still fell short of the 80% benchmark. Late commencement of voting was recorded in Awka North, Ogbaru, Ekwusigo, Idemili North, Onitsha South, Orumba North, Orumba South, Nnewi North, and Ihiala LGAs.
All essential materials, including the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System ,BVAS, voter registers, and ballot boxes, were present in 100% of polling units observed. However, the PWD Voter Information and Statistics Form (Form EC40H) and PWD Posters (Form EC30E) were only available in 86% and 84% of polling units, respectively.
At Umudimogo Primary School I Polling Unit, Amanu I Ward in Ihiala LGA, the absence of the official result sheet (Form EC8A) led to voter protest and disruption of voting, as voters refused to proceed without it.
Accreditation,BVAS performance
By 8:30 a.m., accreditation and voting had commenced in 26% of polling units statewide, rising to 85% by 9:30 a.m. Across senatorial districts, Anambra Central recorded 87%, Anambra North 82%, and Anambra South 84% commencement rates by 9:30 a.m.
The BVAS devices functioned optimally in 90% of polling units, though minor technical glitches occurred in 8% of locations before being resolved. Observers, however, noted instances of noncompliance with INEC guidelines requiring polling officials to display the BVAS accreditation count before voting. In 3% of polling units, voters were permitted to cast ballots without BVAS verification—an infraction that could affect transparency.
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Vote secrecy and undue influence
Observers raised concerns about breaches of vote secrecy in 18% of polling units, where voters exposed marked ballots in the presence of party agents. In 16% of polling units, party agents attempted to influence both voters and polling officials, contrary to Section 122 of the Electoral Act 2022, which guarantees the secrecy of the ballot.
Counting was conducted at polling units immediately after voting, in compliance with electoral regulations. By 4:00 p.m., counting had concluded in 86% of polling units, and by 6:00 p.m., all observed units had completed counting—helped by the low voter turnout.
Party agents for the All Progressives Grand Alliance,APGA, were present in 100% of polling units, APC agents in 95%, Labour Party,LP, in 45%, and PDP in 17%.
Functionality of the INEC Result viewing portal
Uploads using unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal, were prompt, with 98% of results uploaded by 7:00 p.m. The Hub commended INEC for significant improvement in result transparency, image quality, and speed.
However, it noted that accreditation data per polling unit and collation forms (EC8B and EC8C) were not uploaded. The coalition recommended that INEC automate the display of BVAS accreditation data and ensure real-time upload of all collation forms for full transparency.
Security, electoral offences
Security deployment was observed in 96% of polling units, with an average of three polling officials—two of whom were women—present per unit. However, some locations, such as PU 014, Nkwelle Ezunaka, Oyi LGA, began voting without security personnel.
Security agencies under the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security were praised for professionalism and coordination, maintaining peace across polling areas. The local vigilante outfits Agu Ne Chemba and Ebube Agu were notably absent, a development the Hub described as positive for neutrality and institutional compliance.
A total of 41 verified electoral offences were recorded across 13 LGAs. Vote-buying emerged as the most common violation, while a violent incident in Owerre Ezukala, Orumba South LGA, resulted in one death.
Vote trading ranged from ₦3,000 to ₦15,000 per voter, with documented cases in Anambra East (Abata Nsugbe, PU002) where APGA allegedly offered ₦3,000 and APC ₦5,000, and Awka North (Ebenebe Ward 1, Central School PU001) where offers escalated to ₦10,000 and ₦15,000.
Observers condemned the deepening commercialization of elections and urged strict enforcement of anti-bribery provisions under the Electoral Act.
Inclusivity, accessibility
Physical accessibility for persons with disabilities was rated at 89% of polling units, reflecting improvements in polling site design and queue management. However, assistive tools like braille guides and magnifying glasses were available in only 32% of locations, limiting participation for voters with visual impairments and albinism.
The deployment of 25 Sign Language Interpreters was praised as a groundbreaking effort to ensure the inclusion of deaf voters. In 74.8% of polling units with PWDs, priority voting was granted, though inconsistencies in the use of Form EC40H affected data accuracy.
Women’s participation and representation
Gender data from Yiaga Africa and Hernalytics showed that women’s turnout surpassed men’s in most polling units observed. Many remained until counting, reflecting strong civic commitment.
Women made up 61.2% of polling officials and 45% of security personnel, indicating progress in gender inclusion. However, women’s political representation remained low, with only two female governorship candidates jointly securing less than 1% of total votes.
Isolated cases of violence and verbal abuse against women were reported in Anaocha and Anambra East LGAs, affecting 0.8% of observed polling units.
Media coverage, misinformation,safety
Media deployment was robust across all 21 LGAs, with journalists providing live updates and voter education messages that boosted participation in urban centers like Awka, Onitsha, and Nnewi.
Observers confirmed journalists operated freely, with 115 reporters affirming unrestricted access. Only one minor obstruction was reported and promptly resolved by security officers.
Misinformation—particularly false turnout figures and premature result announcements—surfaced mainly on WhatsApp and Facebook community groups in Onitsha North and Awka South but was swiftly countered through fact-checking by the Nigeria Democracy Report and HaltFake.org.
Results verification, credibility
Yiaga Africa’s Process and Results Verification for Transparency,PRVT, confirmed that INEC’s official results were consistent with independently verified data.
The estimates showed APGA leading with 72.37%, APC with 17.03%, YPP 6.46%, LP 1.81%, and PDP 0.24%. The PRVT analysis concluded that the official results reflected the ballots cast at polling units and were within the expected statistical margins.
Recommendations for future elections
The Hub urged INEC to prioritize timely deployment of personnel and materials, strengthen measures to guarantee ballot secrecy, and intensify voter education, especially on women’s participation.
It also recommended expanding the deployment of assistive devices and institutionalizing sign language interpreters in polling units with deaf voters. INEC was further advised to enhance information disclosure, engage regularly with the media, and consolidate technological and logistical gains achieved in 2025.
Security agencies were encouraged to sustain professionalism, enforce electoral laws, and strengthen deterrence against vote-buying and other election offences.
In conclusion, the coalition affirmed that the 2025 Anambra Governorship Election reflected the will of the people, marking a measurable improvement in Nigeria’s democratic process while underscoring the need for deeper reforms to curb vote-buying and enhance voter participation.
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