As the November 8 off-cycle governorship election in Anambra State approaches, vote buying has emerged as a major concern among Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria.
Sixteen CSOs under the platform of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) II implementing partners have called for stiffer penalties against vote buying and the exclusion of vigilante groups from election security duties.
The Anambra Pre-Election Assessment Report highlights growing concerns over electoral malpractice, insecurity, and declining voter participation ahead of the poll.
Presenting the disturbing report, the Executive Director of International Press Centre (IPC), Lanre Arogundade, said the team had developed 66 recommendations to promote credible and transparent elections in the State.
The EU-SDGN II implementing partners noted that the Anambra State governorship poll would serve as a crucial test for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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They urged security agencies and election officials to adopt more proactive measures to curb vote buying, which they described as a major threat to Nigeria’s electoral integrity.
The EU-SDGN II partners also expressed concern over several factors that could undermine the credibility of the election, which has generated intense competition among political parties and candidates — including incumbent Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), who is seeking re-election.
They identified voter apathy, insecurity, and vote buying as recurring challenges, and called on relevant institutions to ensure neutrality and professionalism in election management and security deployment.
(Editor: Ken Eseni)
