Don’t Normalize Vote Buying as Seen in Anambra Election, Civic Group Warns Nigerians

A Nigerian civic organisation, Citizen Monitors, has urged the public and authorities not to treat vote buying as a routine part of elections, following reports of financial inducements during last weekend’s Anambra governorship poll.

In a statement on Tuesday, the group’s Head of Communications, Olajumoke Alawode-James, said the election appeared calm and orderly on the surface but was marred by widespread allegations of cash exchanges, voter intimidation, and subtle coercion at polling units.

“On paper, the election looked calm and orderly. But from what many voters, observers, and online reports described, another story sits underneath: cash moving quietly, bags changing hands, and subtle pressure around polling units,” the statement said.

Citizen Monitors stressed that functioning voting machines and orderly queues do not guarantee a credible election if financial inducement remains unchecked.

“You can have neat queues, working machines, and signed result sheets, yet still run a process where the real contest is who can buy people’s despair the cheapest,” the group said. “When voters feel they have ‘no choice’ but to take money to survive, the ballot may be secret, but the will is already broken.”

Co-founder Adeshope Haastrup warned that normalising vote buying would undermine Nigeria’s democracy. “We cannot pretend that normalised vote buying is democracy. If we quietly accept this pattern, we are not just electing leaders; we are choosing the kind of country our children must struggle in,” Haastrup said.

The warning comes after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) the winner of the governorship election. Soludo defeated rivals from the Labour Party and the All Progressives Congress.

Although INEC dismissed reports of widespread vote buying, saying no official complaint or evidence was submitted, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission confirmed the arrest of three suspected vote buyers during the poll.

Opposition candidates, including the Labour Party’s George Moghalu and the African Democratic Congress (ADC), criticised the exercise, citing vote buying, underage voting, and other irregularities that, they say, undermined the credibility of the process. The ADC cautioned that unresolved vote buying could pose a serious risk ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Citizen Monitors called on INEC, security agencies, and anti-corruption bodies to treat reported incidents as serious electoral offences rather than isolated events.

“Allegations of vote buying, financial inducement, and intimidation must be openly acknowledged, investigated, and punished. Institutions of state must not, by silence or indifference, subtly legalise vote buying,” the statement said.

The group also urged Nigerians to reject monetary inducements and document irregularities. “If this election upsets you, don’t waste the anger. Turn it into a decision: I will not sell my vote. I will help record the truth. I will wake my street. We either all rise together, or we all sink together,” Alawode-James said.

Citizen Monitors concluded that the Anambra election should serve as a warning ahead of 2027. “What we all do between now and 2027 will decide whether the next elections are just another market day, or the moment Nigerians finally choose dignity over price,” the group said.