…IPAC warns against frivolous Court rules to subvert peoples mandate
…Asks FG to scrap of SIECs
Ignatius Okorocha, Abuja
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially scheduled Saturday November 8, 2025 as date for the Anambra State Governorship election.
INEC National Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu,declared this during an extraordinary meeting with political parties at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.
The meeting, which was convened to discuss crucial matters in the forthcoming Ondo state gubernatorial poll, was attended by representatives of various political parties.
In his remarks, Prof. Mahmood emphasized the importance of the upcoming election, noting that the commission is fully committed to ensuring a free, fair, and credible process.
He outlined the measures INEC is putting in place to guarantee transparency, accountability, and adherence to democratic principles throughout the election cycle.
Mahmood also reiterated the need for political parties to conduct themselves responsibly, urging all candidates and their supporters to prioritize peaceful campaigns.
He reminded the parties of INEC’s guidelines and the critical role that adherence to these rules plays in fostering a credible electoral environment.
“The Anambra Governorship election is a vital part of our democratic process, and INEC is ready to deliver an election that reflects the will of the people. We urge political parties and all stakeholders to work with us to ensure a peaceful and orderly election,” Prof. Mahmood stated.
INEC also used the opportunity to brief political parties on the preparation timeline, voter education, and ongoing improvements to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), which has been central to the commission’s efforts to improve the credibility of the voting process.
Political parties were urged to start their preparations in earnest, while INEC reassured the public that all necessary logistics, including voter registration updates, will be completed well ahead of the scheduled date.
The Anambra election is expected to attract significant attention, given the state’s political dynamics and the influence of the result on the broader political landscape in Nigeria. As the election date approaches, parties and candidates are expected to intensify their campaigns, with the focus shifting to grassroots mobilization and voter outreach.
This announcement marks the beginning of the countdown to one of Nigeria’s most anticipated elections in the southeast, as Anambra prepares to elect its next governor.
IPAC will lead from the front in voter mobilisation as a major stakeholder, and urges political parties and their candidates to imbibe issue-based campaigns and eschew politics of bitterness.
The commission is required to put its act together, provide adequate electoral materials, test run its BVAS and IReV portal to avoid undue technical hitches and glitches that will cast doubt on the integrity of the election. The issue of late arrival of election materials to some polling units must be addressed to reinforce confidence in the polls. Equally important is effective communication by the commission’s officials particularly during the collation of results to avoid suspicion of manipulation of results as it happened in the Edo State governorship election where some politicians stormed the collation centre to know why collation of results was suspended. Nigerians, indeed the entire world expect transparency in the conduct of elections.
Security agents, election observers and the media have critical roles to play in ensuring the success of the poll. They are urged to discharge their duties with utmost responsibility and patriotism. Vote trading has been the bane of most elections in Nigeria. Security agents should apprehend and prosecute vote buyers and sellers and their sponsors to face the full weight of the law. We must sanitise the electoral process to stimulate increased restoration of trust that will encourage citizens participation in elections.
In his response, National Chairman inter-party Advisory Council(IPAC )Yusuf Mamman Dantanlla reiterated the council’s demand to the federal government to scrap the State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs)noting that the selections they conduct is a sham, adding ,”elections they conduct are deliberate assault on the nation’s democracy.”
Dantanlla said,”Council will not fold its hand and allow this glaring perversion of the democratic process to continue. It is not just a coronation of the candidates of a ruling party in the state, it is daylight robbery of people’s votes and mandates for chairmanship and councillorship positions. In place of SIECs, Council proposes that INEC should conduct all Local Government elections in Nigeria as it does for federal and state elections. There is no need to create another body to conduct Local Government polls. The National Assembly should not dissipate energy and resources in establishing any Local Government electoral commission, instead it should strengthen INEC to conduct all elections in
the country. The commission’s elections may not be perfect; they are far better and credible than the charades showcased by SIECs acting as rubber stamps of the governors who appointed them.
“IPAC is aware of crises in some political parties and inflammatory statements by politicians and public office holders that tend to overheat the polity.
“We re-emphasise the call on parties to always adhere strictly to their respective constitution and internal democracy,” he noted
Council appealed to political leaders to also explore IPAC’s Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism (ADR) to address the protracted leadership disagreements in some political parties as enshrined in its Code of Conduct.
He said,”As political Leaders, we must cultivate and promote the culture of resolving our own intermal disputes as evidence of leadership capability; rather than over reliance on the Judiciary.
“It is time we stop using the Judiciary to make mockery of our hard earned democracy.
“The issuance of orders and counter orders, judgements and conflicting judgements by courts of coordinate jurisdiction are appalling, as if justice is for sale. Enough of these provocative Judicial somersaults that have made mockery of our emerging democracy.”
“This is also a wake up call for urgent Judicial reform that will sanction and flush out corrupt Judicial officers and restore the court as the Temple of Justice and the last hope of all aggrieved people,” the chairman noted
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