THE just-concluded governorship election in Anambra State was outwardly peaceful, but findings exposed worrying trends of vote-buying, systemic voter inducement and extremely low participation rates. Voter inducements cut across the major party lines of the All Progressive Congress (APC), All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) and Labour Party.
On Sunday, November 9, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced Charles Chukwuma Soludo, candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), as the winner of the 2025 Anambra governorship election.
Soludo secured 422,664 votes, defeating his closest rival, Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who polled 99,445 votes.
Paul Chukwuma of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) came third with 37,753 votes, while John Nwosu of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) scored 8,208 votes.
The Returning Officer, Edobar Omorogie, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), declared Soludo duly elected after confirming that he met the constitutional requirements of securing a majority of votes and geographical spread across the state’s 21 local government areas.
Despite the peaceful collation and declaration, opposition parties have rejected the results, alleging widespread voter inducement and irregularities that, according to them, undermined the integrity of the process.
Although the law allows cancellation of results where votes cast exceed accredited voters, it remains legally ambiguous whether detected vote‑buying automatically triggers cancellation. This creates a grey area that undermines effective enforcement.
Governor Soludo criticised for announcing cash rewards for voters at a campaign rally
The ICIR reports that during the campaign period, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, the incumbent governor and candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), came under fire after he pledged material rewards tied to ward-level performance.
At one of his rallies, in Umunze, Orumba South Local Government Area, Soludo said, “When we were campaigning for the Senate, we knew we were going to win every ward in the South Senatorial Zone, but we still had some incentives. Any ward that APGA won received N1m, and we won all the wards in Orumba South.
“We promised each of these wards N1m and next week, we will redeem it. The ward that comes first will get N5m, the second N3m and the third N2m. That was the deal. For November 8, any ward that wins again will receive N1m, while the first three performing wards will get N5m, N2m and N1m respectively.”
Although much damage control was done, many, including opposition parties and civil society groups, regarded this as overt voter inducement.
The Young Progressives Party (YPP) called it a “public confession of vote-buying” and pointed to sections 121 and 127 of the Electoral Act 2022.
Soludo’s side insisted the rewards targeted party canvassers rather than voters and were aimed at combating long-running voter apathy.
Vote buying confirmed by The ICIR
The ICIR, during the field observation across polling units, documented numerous instances of cash and material inducements offered to voters.
From Idemili North and South, Onitsha North and South, Dunukofia, Njikoka, and several other local government areas of the state, vote-buying was visible as the governor made the controversial remarks.
In several cases, party agents, including those representing candidates who had publicly condemned vote-buying, were seen distributing cash and compiling names of beneficiaries.
The vote buying, unlike in previous elections, is done systematically, but still blatant for observers to witness.
Payments ranging from ₦2,000 to ₦5,000 were recorded across parties, including APGA, APC, PDP, and the Labour Party (LP).
For instance, in Nnewi North, where our reporters were stationed, nearly all polling units observed witnessed vote-buying.
At Umuchu in the Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State, The ICIR observed various party agents compiling names of voters and rewarding them with as little as N1,000 per vote.
At the polling unit of Labour Party’s governorship aspirant, George Moghalu, chaos broke out after he cast his vote at about 11:39 a.m., as voters jostled for their share of the money promised by his campaign agents.
Earlier that morning, a man had approached this reporter at the Moghalu’s home, seeking to know how he could collect cash for canvassing votes for Moghalu. Similar gatherings were observed at the candidate’s office, where supporters assembled as early as 7 a.m. to receive money.
Ironically, Moghalu had previously condemned Soludo’s comments on vote-buying and denied involvement in such acts when questioned by The ICIR.
However, there were even more daring vote-buying in other polling units involving other political parties, where party agents had explained they couldn’t compete with other parties.
At the three polling units (011, 012, and 013) in Corporative centres, Uruagu, Nnewi North, the Labour Party agent told this reporter that “they haven’t gotten many votes because they didn’t have money to offer,” alleging that other parties are giving out money.
Independent observations also revealed that some voters were discreetly moved into a nearby building resembling a bar, where payments were made after they cast their ballots.
Three women were also seen opposite the polling units at Corporative Centres, discreetly disbursing cash to voters.
In one case at Polling Unit 012, an elderly woman frustrated by BVAS failure was later manually accredited with the help of an APC agent, who subsequently collected her voter card and handed her ₦3,000.
While there are arrests by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of suspected vote buyers in some polling units, many others continued their operations unchecked throughout the day.
Low turnout: a state-wide malaise
Despite a slight improvement from the 2021 poll that first brought Soludo to office, voter turnout in Saturday’s election remained alarmingly low.
While the 2021 election saw about 10 per cent participation, this year’s figure only rose to 21.40 per cent statewide.
The ICIR reports that voters’ turnout has fallen significantly over time in Anambra’s governorship elections, reflecting a deepening sense of voter apathy and mistrust in the political system.
The state had seen voter participation decline from about 16 per cent in 2010 to just 10 per cent in 2021. The 2021 election, which brought Soludo to power, highlighted this troubling pattern.
Out of the 2,466,638 registered voters in Anambra in 2021, only 253,388 were accredited to vote. Ultimately, the total votes cast stood at 253,388, with 8,108 of them declared invalid. This indicated that barely 10 per cent of registered voters in the state participated in the election.
Analysis of voting trends shows that only 1.02 million voted in 1999 out of the 2.2 million registered voters, representing 46.4 per cent.
There was a slight increase in the voter turnout in the 2003 election, with having registered 47.22 per cent turnout.
In the 2010 election, out of 1.84 million registered voters in Anambra, only 302,000 turned out to vote, representing roughly 16 per cent participation.
By 2013, voter turnout slightly improved, with 465,891 out of 1,770,127 registered voters casting their ballots, about 25 per cent of the electorate.
Analysis of the recent election showed turnout rates of 17.61 per cent in Nnewi North and 27.14 per cent in Nnewi South, where the LP, APC, and ADC candidates performed strongly.
In Aguata Local Government Area, where Soludo voted, turnout stood at 28.24 per cent.
In Soludo’s polling unit, PU 002, Ward 13, Ofiyi Square, Isuofia, Aguata LGA, out of 933 registered voters, only 430 persons voted.
Though security threats from the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) were largely absent this time, voter distrust and scepticism about the integrity of the process remained high.
In some areas, minimal enforcement of movement restrictions also contributed to the low turnout, as many residents opened their shops and went about business as usual.
Priority access for the elderly and PWDs
Amid the widely reported misconduct and apathy, the prioritisation of elderly persons and persons with disabilities (PWDs) stood out positively in polling units monitored.
At multiple polling units, officials provided plastic chairs for older voters, ensured shorter queues, and assisted visually or physically impaired voters, concretely implementing the inclusion mandate of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
A 74-year-old visually impaired man, Peter Nwafor, for example, cast his vote at Ward 13, Polling Unit 002 in Isuofia, Aguata, with assistance from his daughter, Ifeoma Nwafor.
He said he hoped that the next government would “remember the health and welfare of the elderly who may not be under pension”.
Peaceful execution
From a logistical and security standpoint, the election proceeded without major flare-ups. On Friday, The ICIR saw the transfer of sensitive materials from the INEC office in Ekwulobia headquarters of Aguata Local Government Area, to various wards and towns of Umuchu, Oraeri, Akpo, Uga, Isuofia and others.
The earlier movement of sensitive materials led to the commencement of accreditation exercises in most parts of the states,The ICIR reports.
BVAS devices also functioned in most units, and police maintained order at centres across the state, The ICIR findings showed.
Harrison Edeh is a journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting, always determined to drive advocacy for good governance through holding public officials and businesses accountable.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M