Opposition parties on Sunday condemned the conduct of the Anambra 2025 governorship election, warning that the level of vote-buying and institutional complacency witnessed during the exercise posed a serious threat to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.
The incumbent governor, Chukwuma Soludo, won in all the 21 local government areas in a landslide to seal a second term ticket.
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The condemnation came just hours after President Bola Tinubu congratulated Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance on his re-election, describing the outcome as “an affirmation of visionary leadership” and pledging closer collaboration between the Federal Government and Anambra State.
The Independent National Electoral Commission’s Returning Officer, Edoba Omoregie, Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, while announcing Soludo’s victory, noted that the incumbent satisfied the electoral requirements, having won in more than two-thirds of all local government areas across the state.
Soludo polled 422,664 votes to emerge the winner, with the closest rival, Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress scoring 99,445 votes to come second.
Paul Chukwuma, the candidate of the Young Progressives Party secured 37,753 votes.
While the Labour Party candidate, George Moghalu scored 10,576 votes, John Nwosu, the candidate of the coalition-backed African Democratic Congress (ADC) polled 8,208 votes.
According to INEC, 16 candidates from 16 political parties participated in the election.
But the ADC, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, alleged that the poll was reduced to a marketplace of cash-for-votes.
The statement partly read, “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.
“What unfolded in Anambra was, regrettably, a cash-drenched spectacle that was more of a bazaar than an election. This undermines the very essence of democracy.”
The party accused the incumbent and his party of orchestrating widespread financial inducement.
“We wish to state categorically that, as has been widely reported and clearly shown to Nigerians and the international community, this election was highly monetised, with the incumbent and his party seen to have participated in several forms and styles of cash-for-votes.
“At polling units across the state, bundles of naira notes changed hands in full view. This was a brazen violation of the Electoral Act, whose foundation had been laid by the governor himself well ahead of the election,” the statement added.
Abdullahi faulted the conduct of security agencies and electoral officials.
He said, “Even more troubling was the apparent silence – and in some instances, visible inaction – of institutions mandated to enforce electoral integrity. Security operatives stood by as voters were harassed and compromised, while electoral officials, overwhelmed or indifferent, failed to uphold even the most basic standards.
“If this is the manner in which INEC intends to conduct the 2027 general election, then Nigerians have every reason to be worried about the future of our democracy, especially at a time when the state of our nation is under the microscope of the international community.”
Also, the ADC candidate in the election, John Nwosu, rejected the outcome of the election, describing it as a “national embarrassment.”
Nwosu, who addressed journalists in Nnewi, on Sunday, alleged that Soludo’s victory was aided by money.
He noted that in almost every polling unit, voters were openly induced with cash ranging from N3,000 to N20,000, turning the entire process into a marketplace rather than a democratic exercise.
Although he did not state his next line of action, he added, “True victory is judged not by the outcome, but by the integrity of the process.
“An election riddled with corruption, manipulation, and vote trading cannot and will never represent the voice of the people. It was a shambolic election that conferred a shambolic mandate.
“I, John Chuma Nwosu, the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, hereby categorically reject the outcome of the just-concluded gubernatorial election in Anambra State.
“What took place yesterday (Saturday) was a ruse and total subversion of the people’s will, marred by massive vote buying and shameless financial inducement at polling units across the state. By every account, the people have not spoken.”
He added, “This struggle continues. We will not surrender. We will not be silent. Our movement will keep pressing until the people of Anambra can freely choose their leaders without fear or inducement.”
Nwosu condemned in strong terms the failure of relevant institutions to safeguard the sanctity of the ballot, lamenting that when the system fails to uphold fairness, it loses the moral right to declare winners.
He called for an end to this culture of electoral corruption if the country truly desires a prosperous and just society.
The candidate of the Labour Party, Dr George Moghalu, also rejected the results of the election.
Speaking to journalists in his Nnewi office on Sunday, Moghalu said he was dissatisfied with the conduct of the election and alleged that several irregularities occurred.
He said, “The exercise was marred by widespread vote-buying and reports of underage voting in some areas. The November 8, 2025 governorship election in Anambra State, in my view, fell short of expectations.
“I hereby reject it in its entirety. I contested in previous elections, but this one was different. The level of vote buying was alarming.”
“Children who were not supposed to be carrying voter cards were openly seen with them and were allowed to vote. These are issues that raise questions about the integrity of the process.
“I received reports from my team that in some polling units the LP name appeared on the ballot paper without the party’s logo, making it difficult for voters to identify the party’s position on the ballot.”
Moghalu stressed that he would release a more detailed statement after receiving a comprehensive report from his agents across the state.
However, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Nicholas Ukachukwu, said he was gathering information from his party agents on the outcome of the poll. He alleged that his supporters were prevented from voting by thugs during the poll.
“My supporters, including my running mate, were intimidated by thugs and prevented from casting their votes in their polling units. They arrested one of our agents and kept him somewhere until after the election,” Ukachukwu said.
“When you look at where we are coming from, you will understand that we made an appreciable effort. What happened is a story for another day.
“We are still collating data and gathering information from our party agents, and after that, we will know what to do. I am still consulting with my party to know the steps or actions to take.
“For the first time in the history of the election, the APC scored almost 100,000 votes without any inducement. But they accused us of vote-buying. Can the APC candidate who is not a sitting governor buy votes?
“If the APC candidate bought votes like the APGA candidate, the result would have been obvious. And if you see the level of violence, the people they arrested were all APC members. The house they burnt belonged to an APC member. The woman defeated them in her polling booth, but they went to burn down her house. Was it the APC that burnt down the house?
“Those who burnt the house have not been arrested. Whatever decision I am going to take, I must carry those 99,445 voters who voted for me along. They voted for me because they want Anambra to move forward. I must consult them. Like I said, I will hear from them. APC is here and it’s here to stay.”