APGA candidates ran unopposed in 20 of the state’s 21 councils, while the only contested area, Anambra East, was hit by a YPP boycott and disputed reports of violence

The Anambra State local government election recorded low voter turnout across parts of Awka North and Awka South on Saturday, August 29, 2026, as the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) dominated the ballot in 20 of the state’s 21 local government areas and the Young Progressives Party (YPP) withdrew from the only contested council race.

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Voting materials arrived early at several centres monitored in the state capital, with officials of the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC), voters and security personnel present from about 9am.

Yet the expected crowds failed to materialise at many polling locations.

In Amawbia, Awka South Local Government Area, voters from Wards 1, 2 and 3 were directed to a central voting centre at St Matthew’s Catholic Church in Ward 1. At Okpuno Ward 19 and Agu Awka Ward 01, voters gathered at Nodu Town Hall to cast their ballots.

Mrs Wilfred Aghanya, one of the voters, said ANSIEC officials arrived on time.

The absence of a movement restriction appeared to contribute to the subdued atmosphere, with residents continuing their normal commercial activities and vehicles moving freely around Awka.

The security situation was largely calm at the polling locations visited.

Anambra State Commissioner of Police, CP Nnanna Ama, led an election security monitoring patrol across the state, visiting the ANSIEC office in Awka and strategic locations along the Onitsha Expressway, the Otuocha axis and Anambra East, as well as other parts of the state.

“The patrol was aimed at assessing the security situation, monitoring the deployment and conduct of personnel, and ensuring a safe, peaceful and orderly conduct of the elections across the State,” Ama said.

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps also deployed personnel to monitor the exercise.

Anambra State NSCDC Commandant Olatunde Maku said the process remained peaceful in the areas he visited.

“I have been going around and so far, the exercise has been peaceful, with voters conducting themselves orderly,” Maku said.

In Onitsha South, voters turned out in small numbers at polling units within Modebe Primary School and Central School in Odoakpu. Security personnel were positioned around the centres as voters cast their ballots.

Some voters described the exercise as peaceful and orderly and commended ANSIEC officials for arriving early enough for voting to begin in several locations.

The subdued turnout, however, reflected the unusual political landscape surrounding the Anambra LG poll.

ANSIEC had announced that the election would take place across all 21 local government areas and 326 wards, with 346 councillorship candidates and 22 chairmanship candidates screened for participation.

Only APGA and YPP were listed as participating parties. APGA fielded candidates in all 21 local government areas, while YPP presented candidates only in Anambra East. (Punch Newspapers)

The arrangement meant APGA candidates were effectively unopposed in 20 councils.

Rather than automatically declaring such candidates winners, ANSIEC introduced a Yes or No ballot for uncontested positions. According to the commission, an unopposed candidate would need the required support through the Yes option to be declared elected.

If No votes prevailed, the election would be declared inconclusive and another primary process would follow. (Vanguard News)

The arrangement was being implemented for the first time in the state, according to ANSIEC.

The only council where voters had a conventional party-to-party contest was Anambra East, where YPP fielded candidates for the chairmanship and councillorship positions across the 15 wards.

However, the contest took an unexpected turn when YPP announced that it was boycotting the election.

YPP’s Local Government Collation Agent for Anambra East, Charles Ifediora, alleged that the party’s agents and supporters were prevented from participating and that gunshots were heard around the local government secretariat in Otuocha.

“We are boycotting the election over widespread irregularities and violence against our party agents, members and voters,” Ifediora said. (Punch Newspapers)

He alleged that a female party member was shot and taken to hospital, while party agents were allegedly prevented from carrying out their duties.

An eyewitness, Uche Akaniro, also reported hearing gunshots near the secretariat but said there were no major casualties. According to Akaniro, police later cordoned off the area and restored calm. (Punch Newspapers)

The allegations were disputed by both APGA and the police.

APGA Publicity Secretary Mazi Ejimofor Opara rejected the YPP claims, describing them as baseless and accusing the opposition party of withdrawing because it believed it could not win.

The Anambra State Police Command also denied that there had been any shooting in the area.

Police spokesperson SP Tochukwu Ikenga said CP Ama had led a security patrol to Anambra East and that no gunshot was heard while the team was there.

“There was no gun shot in the area,” Ikenga said, adding that the commissioner’s patrol was intended to assess security arrangements and ensure a peaceful election. (Punch Newspapers)

The conflicting accounts meant that the atmosphere in Anambra East remained more contentious than in many other parts of the state, even as officials maintained that the wider exercise was peaceful.

The political imbalance behind the election had been apparent long before polling day.

ANSIEC had provided registered political parties an opportunity to participate in the process after releasing its timetable and guidelines in September 2025.

The commission later confirmed that only APGA and YPP had completed the process to contest the August election. (Punch Newspapers)

APGA had also conducted its own primaries across the state’s 21 local government areas in February, selecting candidates for the August poll. (Punch Newspapers)

The dominance of APGA is particularly significant in a state where the party has maintained a strong political foothold.

Governor Chukwuma Soludo secured a decisive victory for APGA in the 2025 governorship election, winning 422,664 votes across the 21 local government areas, according to figures declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission. (Vanguard News)

The 2026 local government election therefore unfolded against an already established political advantage for the ruling party.

For voters who turned out, the emphasis was less on intense competition and more on choosing whether to endorse candidates whose names appeared without an opposing party candidate.

For those who stayed away, the limited competition may have weakened the incentive to participate in what would normally be a fiercely contested grassroots election.

By the close of voting, attention had shifted towards collation and the announcement of results at the ANSIEC office in Awka.

The election has offered Anambra a striking picture of grassroots politics: an overwhelmingly dominant ruling party, an opposition party withdrawing from the only contested council, and voters showing limited enthusiasm despite the early arrival of electoral materials.

The final results will determine whether APGA’s uncontested candidates secure the required support under the Yes or No arrangement and whether the disputed Anambra East contest produces a result after the YPP boycott.

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Whatever the outcome, the low turnout has placed voter participation alongside electoral competition and institutional credibility at the centre of the conversation surrounding the Anambra LG poll.