The Deputy Governorship Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Uche Ekwunife, has accused the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and its candidate, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, of engaging in massive vote buying during the ongoing Anambra governorship election.
Ekwunife alleged that “credible intelligence from field reports indicated that the APGA candidate, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, allegedly distributed as much as ₦5 million to each polling unit to influence voters.”
She made the statement shortly after casting her vote at Polling Unit 001 in Nri, Anaocha Local Government Area.
According to her, the level of inducement witnessed across several polling centres showed that the exercise had been compromised.
The APC deputy candidate expressed disappointment over the situation, insisting that such acts undermine the essence of democracy and free choice.
“It is disheartening that instead of allowing the people to freely choose their leaders, some political actors have chosen to corrupt the process with money. This kind of monetization of democracy must stop, if we truly want progress in Anambra and Nigeria at large,” she said.
Ekwunife noted that the practice of buying votes persisted despite warnings from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies against electoral malpractice.
She called on the authorities to step in and ensure that the people’s votes count, describing the development as a “dangerous setback” to Nigeria’s democracy.