Ahead of the November 8 Anambra State Governorship election, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has warned that any form of violence by political parties or their candidates would be met with a strong, uncompromising response.
He added that his office remained fully committed to fulfilling President Bola Tinubu’s directive on the strategic mobilisation of security forces during the electoral period.
This commitment, he added, was essential to ensuring the highest level of safety and security.
Ribadu, who was represented by the Director, Directorate of Internal Security, Office of the NSA, Hassan Abdullahi, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) held at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He stressed that the Nigeria Police Force, as the lead agency for election security, along with other security agencies are prepared and resolute to maintain a secure environment during the Anambra State governorship elections.
He, therefore , called on all citizens to collaborate and commit to a peaceful electoral process that reflects our shared values and aspirations.
Ribadu stated: “As we prepare for the Anambra State governorship election on 8th November 2025, we have put in place robust security measures.
“These include enhanced surveillance, the deployment of sufficient security personnel, and improved intelligence gathering to prevent any attempt by disruptive elements or desperate politicians to undermine the electoral process.
“Moreover, we are proactively engaging with political party leaders and local stakeholders to send a clear message that violence will not be tolerated in our elections.
“All participating political parties and their candidates must advocate for peace and encourage their supporters to conduct themselves in a manner that honours the integrity of our electoral system. Any form of violence during the elections will be met with a strong, uncompromising response.”
Earlier, INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan said following a week-long, comprehensive readiness assessment conducted across the state, the Commission was confident in affirming its full preparedness for the polls.
He noted: “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 per cent of the voters collected their PVC, the Commission met yesterday (Monday) 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.”
Amupitan stressed that the extension was aimed at ensuring all eligible voters can collect their cards at the designated collection centres across the 326 Registration Areas (Wards) in Anambra State.
According to him, Our mandate is to conduct credible elections, and we are determined that no eligible voter should be disenfranchised.
He noted that the security agencies have played a crucial role in securing the environment, without which the conduct of elections would be impossible in certain locations.