Anambra Guber Poll: Obi, Nwosu, others react to vote buying, intimidation

Former Anambra State Governor and 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, cast his vote on Saturday at Polling Unit 019, Umudim Akasi Agulu 2, Ward 8, during the ongoing Anambra governorship election.

Speaking to journalists after voting, Obi expressed disappointment over widespread vote-buying, describing it as a major threat to democracy and the nation’s development.

“Unfortunately, those who are the victims of bad governance seem to be the ones fuelling it,” he said.

“What you see predominantly is vote buying, on a scale of ₦30,000, ₦20,000, ₦15,000.”

“A young person who is unemployed, if he sells his vote for ₦30,000, what will he be paid next month when there’s no election?”

The former governor cautioned that voters selling their conscience were endangering their future.

“By selling your vote, you’re selling away your schools, your hospitals, your jobs; you’re selling away your future,” he said.

“In other countries, even in West Africa, where I’ve observed elections, I didn’t see such practices.”

“So, for journalists, you must cooperate; this must be stopped.”

When asked about the Labour Party’s governorship candidate, George Moghalu, Obi maintained neutrality, saying his focus remained on national issues.

“Yes, I am a member of the Labour Party and I support our candidate. But quite frankly, everyone involved in this election are my brothers and sisters. I’m not on the ballot; I’ve been a governor 13 years ago. I’m now strictly in the ‘Champions League’ of Nigerian politics, contesting to be President of Nigeria,” he said.

Obi urged Nigerian leaders to focus on service delivery, especially in education and healthcare. “We must build hospitals and support nursing schools to produce the manpower required for every village to have at least a primary healthcare centre,” he said.

Meanwhile, other candidates also raised concerns over electoral malpractices.

ADC’s John Nwosu and APC’s Nicholas Ukachukwu accused the ruling APGA of vote-buying and intimidation of party agents.

The election, which caused temporary traffic disruptions in Onitsha due to movement restrictions and security cordons on the Niger Bridge, recorded peaceful voting across 21 local government areas.

Situation Room observer Dimma Nwobi confirmed reports of vote-buying, prompting EFCC’s monitoring intervention. Minor BVAS issues were noted, but accreditation began early in many polling units, including Fegge Community Primary School, Onitsha.

INEC stated that 2,802,790 registered voters are expected to vote across 5,718 polling units.

Very Nigerian reports that Sixteen candidates are in the race, including incumbent Governor Chukwuma Soludo (APGA), Nicholas Ukachukwu (APC), Paul Chukwuma (YPP), George Moghalu (LP), and Jude Ezenwafor (PDP).

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