…Vote buying, vote selling, result manipulation top concerns for future elections
The conduct of the November 8 gubernatorial election in Anambra State may have spelt out to the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Joash Amupitan areas of concerns and the need to initiate holistic overhaul of the commission’s style of operation to deliver credible elections on a consistent basis.
The off-cycle election was characterized by incidences of vote selling, vote buying, low voter turnout, allegations of result manipulation and other electoral offences.
Although the governorship election was generally peaceful across the state, many election observers, party agents and civil society groups raised the alarm at open financial inducement of voters in several polling units across the state.
Cash-for-votes was reported in Ihiala, parts of Nnewi, Awka South and Ogbaru with reports that some voters allegedly negotiated payment before voting.
Late on the election day, there were reports and pictures online of party agents and politicians arrested with cash by officials of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) in several polling units.
Political watchers say the situation in Anambra effectively defined Amupitan’s role on election day and after, considering that he warned repeatedly that vote buying would not be tolerated in the governorship poll.
The INEC chairman now faces the mounting expectation to follow through with investigation and possible sanction of actors involved.
INEC’s technical performance during the election also came under scrutiny. While the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) functioned smoothly in many areas, isolated delays in opening polls and complaints over slow accreditation created anxiety among voters already discouraged by past experiences.
Low voter turnout was witnessed; a familiar challenge that must be urgently addressed. Despite over 2.8 million registered voters, a significantly smaller number showed up to vote.
Election monitors linked the apathy partly to a growing belief among citizens that results could be influenced, regardless of voting patterns.
In the last few days, defeated candidates, such as Nicolas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have alleged that the exercise was marred by vote buying and intimidation.
The APC candidate noted that the development posed a threat to democracy.
Read also: APC chieftain urges Amupitan, INEC chair to resist political pressure
‘Amupitan doesn’t need new rules, but political will’
At a period when Nigerians are overwhelmingly calling for the overhaul of the electoral process and meaningful electoral reforms, analysts say the task is now on Amupitan to deliver on his promises to improve conduct of elections.
Hameed Muritala, development practitioner and political analyst, said that what the new INEC chairman needs is not new rules, but the political will to enforce existing ones without fear or favour.
The expert noted that the issues of result-sheet mutilation, open electoral malpractices, and the casual “go to court” attitude are not new, and that the electoral laws already address these concerns.
According to him, the Electoral Act empowers INEC to prosecute electoral offenders, cancel compromised results, and hold officials accountable.
“If INEC consistently applies these provisions, no matter whose interests are affected, it will significantly deter manipulation and we can begin to have credible elections.
“We want an electoral body that is firm, impartial, and courageous enough to confront politicians and their supporters who do all sorts to undermine the process,” Muritala told BusinessDaySunday.
Some other stakeholders said it was time for Amupitan to use his experience and improve the conduct of elections, noting that although there were improved uploading of the election results from polling units into the INEC portal, there were still cases of malfunctioning of BVAS and late arrival of election officials in many local government areas.
They stated that the election was a reaffirmation that it would be difficult to rig an election when the people speak with one voice.
Read also: Amupitan will be judged by outcome of Anambra election – Tinubu
Nothing may change without amendment to Electoral Act
Other stakeholders expressed the view that it would be challenging for Amupitan to make any meaningful impact with the current Electoral Act because, according to them, it is defective and needs amendment.
They called on the National Assembly to speed up the amendment to the Electoral Act, considering that little time is left before the commencement of electioneering for 2027.
“Many of us think the current Electoral Act needs urgent rejigging and the National Assembly has been on it for some time. I’m not sure if anything would come out of that; without that nothing may change,” Dosu Balogun, a politician, told BusinessDaySunday.
Sunday Unuka, a lawyer, said that the major challenge before INEC now was to ensure that officials do not compromise themselves on election day and that the Electoral Act was amended to make election result transmission backed by law.
Several civil society organisations have since called on Amupitan to refer documented incidents of vote trading to anti-corruption agencies, insisting that failure to act will deepen distrust in the electoral system.
Presence of orderly queues, functioning BIVAS not evidence of credible election
A civic tech platform focused on crowdsourcing and verifying real-time electoral data, Citizen Monitors, cautioned against treating vote buying as a normal feature of Nigerian elections, following reports of financial inducement during the Anambra governorship poll.
The group’s Head of Communications, Olajumoke Alawode-James, described the election as seemingly calm and orderly on the surface but tainted by widespread allegations of cash exchanges, voter intimidation, and subtle coercion at polling units.
“Anambra has voted. 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 read.
Citizen Monitors said the presence of orderly queues and functioning voting machines did not equate to a credible process if financial inducement remained 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 further noted.
Experts said that the Anambra poll had become an early test of leadership, one that has defined Amupitan’s job around three urgent demands: preventing inducement, ensuring credible collation of results, and rebuilding public confidence in the electoral process.
It is believed that INEC’s response to post-election complaints, may set the tone for future polls under his watch.
CSOs seek reforms ahead 2027
Ahead of future polls, many civil society organisations have said that the National Assembly should accelerate pending legislative reforms aimed at improving political participation, election management, and the prosecution of electoral offences.
Several election monitoring groups, including Yiaga Africa, Centre for Transparency Advocacy, Centre for Democracy and Development, Kimpact Development Initiative, among others, set up the election day data room, deploying several accredited electoral observers in the 5,718 polling units across the 21 local government areas of the state.
The Team Lead for Kimpact Development Initiative, Bukola Idowu, said that evidence from the field suggested a concerning level of tacit consensus among multiple political parties in perpetuating this practice.
Idowu said that one of the most concerning developments observed across polling units was the pervasive interference by political party agents in the voting process.
She said, “Our observation documentation showed systematic violations of electoral guidelines by agents representing primarily the APGA, APC and YPP. Party agents were observed engaging in blatant vote-buying operations, approaching voters with cash inducements ranging from N3,000 to N10,000, establishing ‘verification points’ where voters received payments after casting their ballots.”
Also, the conveners of the Situation Room, Yunusa Ya’u, Mimidoo Achakpa, and Franklin Oloniju, tell the National Assembly to accelerate pending legislative reforms.
“The 2025 Anambra State governorship election was largely peaceful but marred by what may be attributed to lingering public distrust in public institutions and governance.
“Many citizens still seemed uninterested in the process and were seen carrying on with their trading in the markets. However, there was a marked improvement compared to the 2021 governorship election, regarding the political and security environment,” the group said in a statement.
