96-year-old woman with a voters card issued in 1993 weeps after being denied voting

A 96-year-old woman burst into tears on Saturday after officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) denied her the chance to participate in the ongoing Anambra governorship election.

 

The incident occurred at Polling Unit 19, Registration Area Centre 8, Agulu II, in Anaocha Local Government Area of the state, reports Daily Trust.

 

The nonagenarian, who was holding an umbrella, reportedly arrived at the polling unit around 10:33 a.m. and sat on one of the chairs provided for accreditation.

 

Her frail frame drew the sympathy of fellow voters.

 

Officials of INEC, however, told her that the card she brought was from 1993 and therefore invalid for the ongoing governorship election.

 

They explained that only Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) issued after the last registration exercise were acceptable for accreditation and voting.

 

At this point, the elderly woman became visibly emotional after the explanation and started weeping.

 

Her tears attracted the sympathy of other voters and officials who tried to comfort her.

 

The incident, Daily Trust reports, highlighted the high voter enthusiasm across Anambra, with reports indicating improved turnout compared to the last election.

 

INEC had earlier recorded a surge in registration, announcing 168,187 new voters captured during the Continuous Voter Registration exercise between July 8 and 20, 2025.

 

Women made up 58 percent of the new registrants, while young people aged 18 to 34 constituted more than half of the total.

 

With over 2.8 million registered voters, the ongoing election makes Anambra one of the states with the highest number of eligible voters in the South East.

 

Governor Charles Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is seeking re-election and faces major challengers including Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and George Moghalu of the Labour Party (LP).

 

Chuma Nwosu of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and other contenders are also in the race.