By Tony Oraeki, Awka
An election observer Organization, YIAGA Africa has alleged a possible security threat in six local government areas of the state, ahead of the scheduled Saturday, November 8, election.
Speaking during a pre-election press briefing in Awka, Chairperson of the 2025 Anambra Election Mission, Yiaga Africa, Dr Asmau Maikudi listed the six council areas to include, Orumba North, Orumba South, Ogbaru, Ihiala, Nnewi South and Aguata.
Maikudi while outlining three critical benchmarks that would shape the credibility of the electoral process, which he enumerated to include, efficiency of logistics, integrity in electoral procedures, adding that drawing from past electoral experiences and recent bye-elections, the three tests will serve as the litmus test for public trust in the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, security agencies and political actors.
He explained that failure to meet the listed standard could further erode voter confidence and deepen the legitimacy crisis in Nigeria’s democracy.
She further announced that Yiaga Africa also observed in its engagement across the 21 local government areas that a significant number of young people within the voting ages were disinterested in registering as voters or participating in the election.
According to her, given this trend and Anambra’s historical record of low voter turnout, there are serious concerns that the 2025 governorship election may witness turnout rates below 20 percent further weakening electoral legitimacy.
” Yiaga Africa will deploy a total of 250 stationary observers to a representative statistical sample of 250 polling units and 22 mobile observers in the 21 local government areas of the state, to enable the group to provide timely and accurate information on the conduct of accreditation, voting and counting as well as to independently verify the official results for the Anambra gubernatorial election as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, if the announced results reflect the ballots cast at polling units, we will confirm the outcome”. she stressed.
Maikudi however threatened that Yiaga Africa will expose any manipulation of the announced results if they do not match the results posted at the polling station, urging INEC and the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to intensify sensitization across communities in Nigeria, on the importance of voting during an election.
