November 03, (THEWILL) — All stakeholders from the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to civil society organisations and political parties are taking deeper interest in the upcoming November 8, 2025 Governorship Election in Anambra State, following Governor Charles Soludo’s cash for voting statement while on a campaign trail in the state.
Professor Soludo, who is also the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, candidate, ignited controversy after announcing that the government would reward each ward with money for voting during the election. Since then, cries of vote-buying have rent the air from other political parties while INEC, security agencies and the office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, have vowed to ensure a level playing field for all the participating 16 out of the registered 19 political parties.
“When we were campaigning for the Senate, we knew we were going to win every ward in the South Senatorial Zone, but we still had some incentives. Any ward that APGA won received N1m, and we won all the wards in Orumba South,” Soludo said while campaigning in Umunze, Orumba South Local Government Area, on Saturday 18, October, 2025. He further said, “We promised each of the wards N1m and redeemed it the following week. The ward that comes first will get N5m, the second N3m and the third N2m. That was the deal. For November 8, any ward that wins again will receive N1m, while the first three performing wards will get N5m, N2m and N1m, respectively.”
National Publicity Secretary of APGA, Mazi Ejimofor Opara, defended the governor’s action, insisting that it was designed to tackle voter apathy and inspire a massive turnout during the election. Opara said the initiative would create a sense of competition that would translate into increased voter participation, stressing that it should not be mistaken for vote-buying.
He said, “If you take a close look at elections in Anambra over the years, you would notice a high level of voter apathy. “For instance, in 2021, Anambra had 2.7 million registered voters, yet less than two hundred thousand of that number decided that election — that is if you add the total votes received by all the political parties.
“Now, this is not about vote-buying in any way; it is about initiating healthy competition amongst members of our party across wards and local governments. A competition that will translate into increased voter participation, not vote-buying by any stretch of the imagination. “We know, even the opposition knows, that APGA is the dominant party and does not require any kind of inducement to win elections here.
“The converse is the reality for the opposition in Anambra. Recall the popular Ukwulu woman who rejected monetary inducement to vote for another party that isn’t APGA. That incident remains a classic example of how Ndi Anambra cannot be bought during consequential elections. “Again, as a party, we are not unmindful of a phenomenon we have described as the ‘complacency of the majority’ — a situation where everybody believes everybody will vote and in the end, only a few come out to vote out of the majority.”
which described the move as open inducement and a gross violation of the Electoral Act. Sooner had he made the statement than other stakeholders reacted, criticised him and alerted the INEC and security agents to be extra-watchful. According to the National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South-East, Dr. Ijeomah Arodiogbu, Soludo’s action amounted to vote-buying and abuse of office. In the same vein, the National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bolaji Abdullahi, called on INEC to act swiftly, describing Soludo’s promise as “a public confession of vote-buying.”
Also, the Labour Party alleged that Soludo was weaponising poverty. “This is not good for democracy. Why is he giving out money now that elections are near? This is vote-buying and manipulation. We will raise this matter at the next stakeholders’ meeting with INEC,” the party stated.
For the National Publicity Secretary of APGA, Mazi Ejimofor Opara, Soludo’s promise, “is not about vote-buying in any way; it is about initiating healthy competition amongst members of our party across wards and local governments. A competition that will translate into increased voter participation, not vote-buying by any stretch of the imagination.
He said that, “even the opposition knows that APGA is the dominant party and does not require any kind of inducement to win elections here. The converse is the reality for the opposition in Anambra. Recall the popular Ukwulu woman who rejected monetary inducement to vote for another party that isn’t APGA. That incident remains a classic example of how Ndi Anambra cannot be bought during consequential elections.”
Chairman of the Commission, Professor Joash Amupitan, who would be using the Anambra governorship poll as a testing ground for his ideas to clean up the erstwhile doggy electoral process, has pledged to rid the poll of any vestige of vote-buying.
Speaking during the meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, ICCES, held during the past week at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja, Amupitan described vote-buying as a menace that has soiled the heart of Nigeria’s emerging democracy and invited all hands to be on deck to eradicate it. The session, co-chaired with the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, brought together heads and representatives of security, intelligence, and law enforcement agencies to review operational readiness for the election.
Amupitan stated that the credibility of the Anambra election depends on their collective resolve and urged all parties to the election to be extra vigilant.
“The Commission is pleased with our collaboration with law enforcement agencies, especially the anti-graft agencies, to stop vote buyers from contaminating our electoral process. Security agents cannot afford to create an environment that allows vote buyers to operate during the Anambra election,” the INEC Chairman said, adding that, “Together, let us combat vote buying, uphold the values of democracy, and work relentlessly for the credibility of our elections. The path ahead may be challenging, but if we stand united, there is nothing we cannot achieve.”
The INEC Chairman explained that the Commission had recently conducted a mock Accreditation Exercise in 12 polling units across six local government areas of Anambra State using the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), noting that though minor network issues were recorded, all identified challenges were being addressed ahead of full deployment on election day.
Amupitan disclosed that INEC would deploy 24,000 personnel across 5,718 polling units in Anambra State, while voting would not take place in two polling units due to the absence of registered voters. Collation of results will be done at 326 Ward Centres, 21 Local Government Area Collation Centres, and the final State Collation Centre in Awka. On logistics, the INEC Chairman disclosed that the Commission had concluded agreements with major transport unions, including the National Association of Transport Owners (NATO), the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), for the movement of election personnel and materials. “We have hired 200 buses and 83 boats to guarantee seamless deployment of personnel and materials, including those to riverine areas,” he said.
Amupitan commended the synergy among security agencies, describing their cooperation as indispensable to credible elections. He revealed that a high-level ICCES meeting was recently held in Awka, during which security chiefs provided detailed reports on operations and flashpoint monitoring across the 21 local government areas.
He called for unity and vigilance, reminding stakeholders that the credibility of the Anambra Governorship Election will be a reflection of Nigeria’s democratic maturity. “The security agencies have been steadfast, and the Commission is fully ready. What remains is our collective resolve to make this election one that strengthens public trust and deepens our democracy,” he declared. Hassan Yahaya Abdullahi, Director of Internal Security at the ONSA, who represented Malam Nuhu Ribadu, gave the assurance that the Federal Government had approved robust, intelligence-driven security arrangements to secure the electoral environment.
“We have put in place enhanced surveillance, sufficient security deployment, and improved intelligence gathering to prevent any attempt by disruptive elements or desperate politicians to undermine the electoral process,” he said.
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