Yiaga Africa has released its post-election assessment of the November 8, 2025 Anambra State governorship election, raising concerns about several issues that affected the integrity and smooth conduct of the polls. The organisation highlighted widespread vote buying, voter apathy, and logistical challenges, including delays in the deployment of election officials and materials, and late opening of polling units.
The civil society group, which deployed 711 citizen observers through its Watching The Vote (WTV) project under the EU Support for Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) initiative, explained that its Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT) methodology confirmed that the official results largely reflected the ballots cast at polling units.
Yiaga Africa also noted that while the overall process was credible, certain operational gaps, such as voter intimidation, late arrival of polling materials, and inadequate staff deployment, highlighted the need for INEC to strengthen planning and enforcement of electoral regulations.
The organisation urged political parties, candidates, and voters to uphold the sanctity of the election results and called on INEC to address procedural weaknesses, curb inducements, and improve voter education ahead of future elections.
