The governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the ongoing Anambra State election, Chioma Ifemeludike, has condemned the conduct of the poll, alleging extensive cases of vote buying across the state.
In a video shared on her Instagram page on Saturday, Ifemeludike claimed that some voters were selling their votes for between ₦3,000 and ₦5,000, describing the process as a “coordinated transaction” allegedly supervised by unidentified agents.
She said “What is happening now isn’t an election. These are transactions. They write your name, then you move to another section where people meet. You can see people in visible hardship—it’s heartbreaking.”
Expressing concern over the participation of elderly citizens in the alleged malpractice, she added:
“I saw elderly men and women selling their votes for as little as ₦3,000 or ₦5,000. The whole process is organised and supervised by supposed public agents. It’s shocking and deeply disappointing.”
Ifemeludike further described the environment as unsafe for opposition parties, stating:
“This place is dominated by transactional elements. It’s wicked and completely unacceptable.”
She urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) to immediately investigate and arrest individuals involved in vote trading.
In a separate post, the AAC candidate called for stricter penalties:
“Anyone voter or politician caught buying or selling votes for ₦5,000 or any amount should face life imprisonment. This criminal act undermines governance, destroys accountability, and erodes leadership integrity.”
She emphasized that vote trading must be eradicated to allow “patriotic and transparent leaders” to emerge in Nigeria’s political landscape.
As of 7:16 p.m. on Saturday, a live check by our correspondent showed that INEC had uploaded 96.77% of the results from the Anambra governorship election to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV).
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