Anambra 2025: IPC, CEMESO to Track Polls Live, Safeguard Journalists Against Threats and Disinformation
The International Press Centre (IPC) and the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO) have reaffirmed their commitment to real-time monitoring of the November 8, 2025 Anambra governorship election through the Anambra Election Observation Hub — an initiative designed to safeguard journalists, verify electoral information, and promote transparent polling.
With over 2.8 million registered voters expected to cast their ballots across 5,718 polling units in 21 local government areas, the organisations have urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to strengthen protection for journalists and ensure unhindered access to information during the polls.
Supported by the European Union under the EU Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU–SDGN) Programme Phase II, the Hub aims to foster collaboration among media, civil society, security agencies, and INEC to enhance accountability, transparency, and early response to threats that could undermine electoral integrity.
During the election, the Hub will host press briefings, field monitoring, and live media assessments across traditional and digital platforms. It will also track journalist safety, verify electoral claims, and counter misinformation in real time through coordinated fact-checking.
A key feature of the Hub is its rapid-response mechanism, which enables swift identification and resolution of incidents such as threats to journalists, voter suppression, and disinformation. Observers deployed across all 21 local councils will provide real-time reports to inform public communication and evidence-based interventions.
Pre-election analysis conducted between June 2024 and October 2025 revealed multiple safety incidents — including the detention of 18 journalists by vigilante operatives in Nnewi during the Anambra South senatorial by-election — underscoring the need for improved safeguards.
Lanre Arogundade, executive director of IPC, said the election faces both traditional and digital risks, including “coordinated misinformation targeting journalists.” He added that the IPC’s Safety and Protection of Journalists (SPJ) Hub is using “real-time risk analytics to map threat hotspots, verify information, and protect both reporters and the integrity of the information ecosystem.”
Dr Akin Akingbulu, executive director of CEMESO, said the Hub’s data-driven observation model “tracks misinformation networks and amplifies verified reporting through Halt Fake and the Nigerian Democratic Report platforms.”
As part of their efforts to promote media professionalism, both organisations have developed a suite of resource materials, including Guidelines on Fact-Checking Electoral Misinformation and Disinformation, Broadcast Media Coverage of Elections-Related Politics in Nigeria, and Media Guidelines for Disability-Inclusive Coverage of Elections.
They also encouraged journalists to familiarise themselves with the Nigeria Media Code of Election Coverage, the Resource Manual for Reporting Elections and Democratic Accountability, and the FOI Manual for Journalists on Electoral Campaign Finances.
The Anambra Election Observation Hub is a coalition of EU–SDGN II partners, including Yiaga Africa, The Kukah Centre, IPC, CEMESO, ElectHER, the Nigerian Women Trust Fund, and TAF Africa.
The EU–SDGN II Programme supports INEC, the National Assembly, the judiciary, political parties, civil society, and the media in strengthening democratic governance and ensuring that all voices are represented in Nigeria’s electoral process.
