Ahead of the Anambra state off-cycle election in November 2025, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, has engaged the security agencies on strategies to tackle the menace of vote buying at the primary and main elections.

Professor Yakubu made this appeal while meeting with the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), which was held at the INEC Conference Room in Abuja on Tuesday, 11th February 2025, drawing the attention of the security stakeholders to vote buying, which does not only exist during the main elections but has become a common practice among party delegates in primary elections.

The INEC Chairman acknowledged the roles of the security agencies by joining the electoral commission in fighting against vote buying, arresting suspects during the election, and demonstrating how their operations have led to the prosecution of some of the offenders. 

Recall that the INEC The chairman has raised a concern in his previous interaction with the civil society organisations, calling for synergy in combating the menace of vote-buying among the delegates of political parties in the country and extensive advocacy in monitoring the parties’ primary elections.

In this context, the INEC chairman stated that the practice of incentivising electorates has led to distorted outcomes in previous elections. This has been a concern for the stakeholders who have been calling the electoral body to reform the voting system in the country.

Therefore, he called for extensive collaboration and partnership among all security apparatuses to address the menace of vote buying during the poll.

“There is, of course, a lot of work to do, especially in combating vote buying. The Commission is pleased with our collaboration with the law enforcement agencies, particularly the anti-graft agencies. Beyond the arrest of vote buyers on Election Day, our active partnership has so far resulted in the successful prosecution of some offenders in three states of the Federation. As you are aware, the problem also manifests itself during the party primaries for the election of candidates. In the same way that voters are targeted at polling units on election day, so too is delegate-buying at the venues of congresses and conventions for the election of candidates.

“As you can see from your folders, they contain the timetable and schedule of activities for this project. Next month, the party primaries for the Anambra State governorship election will commence, and the Area Council election in the Federal Capital Territory will take place in June. We should continue to work together in partnership with other critical stakeholders to address the menace.

Professor Yakubu urged the security to further perform its roles in the forthcoming election, as it did earlier in the previous election.

“In due course, the commission will make the delimitation details available to you to guide your operational deployment for forthcoming elections. This will include the detailed locations of the polling units, the registration area centres, the wards, and the local government and state collation centres. As usual, we will also provide you with information on the terrain, including difficult land and riverine locations. We will also make available to you our preliminary assessment of the security situation that may warrant your special attention.

“Our experience in the management of logistics during the last Ondo State governorship election provides the template for future elections. Better coordination in the deployment of security and electoral officials contributed to the early commencement of polls and peaceful conduct of the election, in spite of the challenging terrain, especially in the riverine areas. The forthcoming governorship election in Anambra State must be similarly well coordinated. Together, we should continue to give Nigerians a positive experience on Election Day and beyond.

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, responded to the INEC Chairman by acknowledging the duties of the security agencies and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for their effectiveness during the Edo and Ondo off-cycle elections.

In his remarks, Ribadu, who was represented by Hassan Yahaya Abdullahi, the Director of Internal Security at the Office of the NSA, praised the cooperation of security forces, the quick response to incidents, and the use of technology, such as communication systems and drones, to improve election security.

The NSA also stated that lessons learnt from these elections would be used to improve security strategies for upcoming byelections and the governor’s election on November 8, 2025.