By Nkechi Eze
As political activities heighten ahead of the November 8, 2025, Anambra State Governorship Election, the Nigeria Police Force has sounded a strong warning to criminal elements, separatist agitators, and unauthorized security outfits attempting to disrupt the process. At the signing of the Anambra Peace Accord in Awka on Monday, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, Ph.D, NPM, represented by the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Ben Okoro, declared that any attempt by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), its militant wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN), or any other non-state actor to interfere with the election would be met with an immediate, coordinated, and overwhelming law enforcement response.
The IGP stated emphatically that the Nigeria Police Force has already activated precision-targeted intelligence operations to identify, isolate, and dismantle any network or individual plotting acts of intimidation, violence, or disruption during and after the election. He warned that the peace of Anambra State was not negotiable, stressing that any person or group found bearing arms, brandishing instruments of intimidation, or performing unauthorized security duties outside recognized federal agencies would be treated as armed non-state actors. According to him, such persons would be swiftly neutralized, arrested, and prosecuted under the Firearms Act, the Criminal Code, and the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, describing this as an operational red line that would be enforced without hesitation.
Egbetokun emphasized that the Nigeria Police Force had activated a Zero-Tolerance Enforcement Protocol to ensure total compliance with the Electoral Act and related laws. He said the professionalism of the Force would be matched by decisiveness, and its restraint by precision, while electoral offences would be treated as criminal violations of national security, not mere political misconduct. He listed ballot snatching, vote buying, and voter intimidation as felonies under the Electoral Act 2022, noting that officers were under strict instruction to effect immediate arrests based on prima facie evidence and to ensure diligent prosecution through the Electoral Offences Desks already activated across the state. The objective, he said, was simple: to deter misconduct through swift and exemplary enforcement.
The IGP further revealed that specialized cybercrime units had been deployed to monitor, trace, and counter digital misinformation, fake news, and coordinated online propaganda aimed at disrupting public peace or discrediting the electoral process. Those who weaponized misinformation to incite violence, he warned, would be traced, apprehended, and prosecuted under the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act.
He also outlined binding Election Day protocols enforceable under federal law, including a total ban on the movement of VIPs, political appointees, or candidates with armed escorts or security aides to polling or collation centres. He stated that only accredited INEC officials, election observers, and journalists would be allowed to move freely between designated areas, while party agents and security personnel must remain within their assigned jurisdictions. Campaigning, partisan display, or any act capable of causing provocation within the vicinity of polling units was prohibited, and possession of any weapon or instrument of intimidation would attract immediate arrest.
To political parties, candidates, and campaign managers, Egbetokun stressed that the responsibility for peace rested heavily upon them. He said the Nigeria Police Force would hold political leadership directly accountable for the conduct of their supporters, urging them to campaign with honour, persuade rather than provoke, and remember that power attained through violence was illegitimate and unsustainable. He also appealed to traditional, religious, and community leaders to use their moral authority to dissuade youths from being used as instruments of political violence and to strengthen vigilance against divisive rhetoric.
Addressing the people of Anambra State, the IGP assured them of the unwavering commitment of the Nigeria Police Force to protect lives, votes, and voices during the election. “The Nigeria Police Force stands before you as the Shield of the Constitution,” he said. “On November 8, 2025, exercise your right to vote freely and fearlessly. We shall protect your lives, your votes, and your voices. Our mission is clear: to defend the law, preserve peace, and uphold the sovereign will of the people.”
Earlier, the Chairman of the National Peace Committee, former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), represented by Lieutenant General Martin Luther Agwai (rtd), reminded candidates and their political parties that their commitment to the peace accord was not just in words but in action. He said the duty called for discipline, honour, and responsibility, urging political actors to adhere to the principles of peaceful coexistence and responsible leadership. Abdulsalami also appealed to INEC to ensure that the election was credible and transparent, while calling on security agencies to protect and not intimidate. He further urged traditional and religious leaders to use their influence to promote unity and caution the media to report in ways that inform and build understanding, rather than instil fear or division.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Joash Amupitan, urged all political parties, candidates, and their supporters to adhere to the principles of the peace accord. He called on all stakeholders to work together to ensure that the election would be remembered not for division or discord, but for its spirit of unity and pursuit of common goals. According to him, INEC had taken deliberate steps to address operational challenges and ensure a smooth, credible, and transparent process across the state. He disclosed that the Commission had approved a final register of 2,802,790 eligible voters for the election and had extended the collection of Permanent Voter Cards until Sunday, November 2, 2025, to ensure maximum participation.
Professor Amupitan explained that over 24,000 ad-hoc personnel would be deployed across 5,718 polling units, 326 ward collation centres, 21 local government collation centres, and the state collation centre in Awka. He assured that voters should expect significant improvement in logistics and enhanced result management processes. He added that the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) had instituted robust measures for the election, with the Nigeria Police Force deploying 45,000 personnel and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps contributing 10,250 officers, alongside other agencies.
Amupitan reaffirmed INEC’s commitment to deliver credible elections and combat vote-buying, warning that any individual or group planning to subvert the will of the people would be firmly confronted within the strong hands of the law. He expressed confidence that, with the peace accord signed, the proactive efforts of security agencies, and the contributions of traditional rulers, community and religious leaders, civil society, and the media, the 2025 Anambra Governorship Election would be peaceful and successful.
Sixteen political parties and their candidates participated in the signing of the peace accord, pledging to abide by its principles and to ensure peaceful conduct before, during, and after the election.
