Vote buying claims overshadow Anambra election as INEC uploads 36.99% results on IRev

The Anambra State governorship election on Saturday was overshadowed by widespread allegations of vote buying, even as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) continued uploading results to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV).

Checks on the IReV platform at 3:52 p.m. showed that 2,116 results, representing 36.99 per cent of the 5,718 polling units, had been uploaded.

Governor Chukwuma Soludo, who spoke shortly after casting his vote at Polling Unit 002, Ofiyi Square, Umueze, Isuofia Ward 13, Aguata Local Government Area, condemned what he described as “massive vote buying” in parts of Nnewi South.

“We understand that some voters are being paid as much as N15,000 in some polling units,” Soludo said. He noted that although the exercise had been largely peaceful with early deployment of materials, isolated BVAS glitches were reported in Olumbanasa, Anambra West.

The governor also alleged that a particular political party had ordered its polling agents to disrupt result documentation to create grounds for manipulation during collation.

“One party’s strategy is to swap results during collation. They told their agents not to upload properly on IReV,” he claimed. “But we are vigilant. If the system works as designed, we have no doubt of winning across the 21 LGAs.”

Also voting in Nnewi South, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Nicholas Ukachukwu, accused political actors of monetising the election, calling vote buying “the biggest menace threatening Nigeria’s democracy.”

“It will get to a point where leaders who get into office through vote buying can’t deliver anything,” Ukachukwu warned. He also alleged that one of his party agents was assaulted in Utuh.

Similarly, Labour Party (LP) candidate, Dr George Moghalu, who voted at Uruagu Ward 1 in Nnewi, said vote buying and voter apathy were undermining the credibility of the election.

“If you monetise a process, you weaponise poverty, what is free or fair about that?” he said. He added that low turnout reflected citizens’ declining trust in elections.

Despite the concerns, all three major candidates commended INEC for early arrival of materials and improved organisation, while urging security agencies to intensify efforts to curb electoral malpractice.

Collation of results continues at ward and local government levels at press time.