Voting is underway across Anambra State as residents cast their ballots in the Governorship election.
Polling units are witnessing high voter turnout under tight security, with the Independent Electoral Commission, INEC officials and security personnel ensuring a smooth and credible voting process.
Residents in major towns, including Awka, Onitsha, Nnewi, Ekwusigo, Orumba South, and Igbo-Ukwu, were seen queuing early for accreditation and voting. At Agu Awka and Aroma, Awka South, INEC officials pasted voter registers and guided voters through the accreditation process, prompting cheers and enthusiasm among early voters.
In Orumba South, polling units 001, 002, and 003 at Nwikpa Primary School, Nkwo Market, and Amaokwu Hall reported orderly voting, while similar activity was observed at Polling Unit 006, Obi Palace, Umumunna Amakwa, in Ekwusigo LGA, where security personnel maintained a strong presence.
Some areas, however, experienced minor delays due to late arrival of election materials or challenges with BVAS device activation, particularly in Anambra East and Onitsha South. At Christ the King College (CKC), Onitsha, materials arrived nearly two hours late, causing brief agitation among early voters.
Security remains high across the state, with personnel from the Nigeria Police Force, NSCDC, and other agencies patrolling polling centres and ensuring a safe environment for voters.
Observers from civil society organisations have also been deployed to monitor compliance with electoral rules and procedures.
Presiding officers educated voters on correct thumbprinting and ballot procedures to avoid errors and invalid votes, while INEC confirmed that 2,802,790 registered voters are eligible to participate in the election across 5,718 polling units, with 24,000 ad hoc staff and 6,879 BVAS machines deployed.
The election is a keen contest among major candidates including Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Dr George Moghalu of the Labour Party (LP), alongside others.
So far, the atmosphere remains calm and orderly, with voters expressing optimism for a transparent and credible outcome, signaling an important test of Nigeria’s democratic process.