Opposition parties have denounced the conduct of Saturday’s Anambra State governorship election, claiming that widespread vote-buying and lax institutional oversight tainted the credibility of the process and could jeopardise the 2027 general elections.
Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) was declared winner in all 21 local government areas, securing a second term in what the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) described as a decisive victory.
Soludo polled 422,664 votes to defeat his closest rival, Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who garnered 99,445 votes.
The Young Progressives Party (YPP) candidate, Paul Chukwuma, came third with 37,753 votes, while George Moghalu of the Labour Party (LP) and John Nwosu of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) scored 10,576 and 8,208 votes respectively.
Announcing the results in Awka, the INEC Returning Officer and Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, Prof Edoba Omoregie, said Soludo met all legal requirements, having won more than two-thirds of the local government areas.
President Bola Tinubu was among the first to congratulate the governor, describing the outcome as “an affirmation of visionary leadership” and promising closer federal collaboration with Anambra State.
But opposition figures painted a darker picture. The ADC, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, described the election as a “cash-drenched spectacle that was more of a bazaar than an election.”
“The African Democratic Congress has observed the conduct of the just-concluded Anambra gubernatorial election with a deep sense of concern for the electoral process in Nigeria,” the statement read. “What unfolded in Anambra undermines the very essence of democracy.”
The party accused the incumbent and his supporters of orchestrating a well-funded vote-buying scheme. “At polling units across the state, bundles of naira notes changed hands in full view,” Abdullahi alleged, lamenting what he called the “visible inaction” of security agencies and electoral officials.
“If this is the manner in which INEC intends to conduct the 2027 general election, Nigerians have every reason to be worried about the future of our democracy,” he warned.
ADC’s candidate, John Nwosu, also rejected the outcome, calling it a “national embarrassment.” Speaking to reporters in Nnewi, Nwosu claimed that voters were openly induced with cash ranging from N3,000 to N20,000.
“An election riddled with corruption, manipulation, and vote trading cannot and will never represent the voice of the people,” he said. “It was a shambolic election that conferred a shambolic mandate.”
He vowed to continue pressing for accountability, declaring, “This struggle continues. We will not surrender. We will not be silent.”
The Labour Party’s candidate, Dr George Moghalu, also rejected the results, alleging underage voting and irregularities in the ballot design.
“The exercise was marred by widespread vote-buying,” Moghalu told journalists. “Children who were not supposed to carry voter cards were openly seen voting. In some polling units, our party’s logo was missing on the ballot paper, creating confusion for voters.”
Moghalu said he would issue a detailed statement after reviewing reports from his agents.
Despite the chorus of discontent, INEC has yet to respond to the opposition’s allegations, as Anambra enters its next political chapter under Soludo’s renewed mandate.
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