Elderly Voter Denied Voting Rights Amid Technical Glitches
A 96-year-old woman, Mrs Elizabeth Onike, was prevented from casting her ballot during the Anambra State governorship election on Saturday, November 8, 2025. The nonagenarian arrived early at Umudim/Akasi polling unit 019 in Agulu Ward 2, Aniocha Local Government Area, but could not produce her voter's card when required for accreditation.
Eyewitnesses reported that Mrs Onike became emotional about being disenfranchised, pleading in Igbo: "I don't know where it is. I cannot find it." Despite her evident eagerness to participate in the democratic process, having arrived before 9 a.m. and secured a seat for herself, the elderly woman was turned away due to the missing identification document.
BVAS Technical Failures Compound Election Day Challenges
Meanwhile, at Polling Unit 001 in Fegge, Onitsha, voting operations experienced significant delays following the malfunction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) machine. As of 9:55 a.m., no voters had been successfully accredited at this location.
Election officials confirmed they were awaiting a replacement device to resume the accreditation process, while other polling centers across Anambra State had already commenced voting activities. This technical failure highlighted the operational challenges facing the electoral process in key areas.
The polling unit where Mrs Onike was disenfranchised holds additional significance as the designated voting location for Labour Party's 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, who was scheduled to cast his vote there later in the day.
Voter Apathy and Market Activities During Election
In Nnewi, despite the ongoing governorship election, some traders at Nkwo Igboukwu market in Aguata Local Government Area opened their shops on Saturday morning. Market activity continued briefly until market leaders intervened, instructing shop owners to close and proceed to polling units.
The leaders warned of a ₦10,000 fine for non-compliance with the closure directive. Several traders admitted lacking motivation to participate in the election, while motorcyclists were observed moving freely around the market area, indicating partial adherence to the election day restrictions.
According to INEC statistics, Aguata Local Government Area has 150,575 collected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) out of the total registered voters. Statewide, 2,769,137 of the 2,802,790 registered voters in Anambra State, representing 98.8 percent, had collected their PVCs ahead of Saturday's election.
The 2025 Anambra governorship election involves 16 candidates competing across 5,718 polling units in 21 local government areas. Key contenders include Governor Chukwuma Soludo (APGA), Nicholas Ukachukwu (APC), Paul Chukwuma (YPP), George Moghalu (Labour Party), and Jude Ezenwafor (PDP).
