Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo, and his wife, Nonye Soludo, cast their votes at 1:20 p.m. on Saturday at their polling unit in Isuofia as residents across the state headed to the polls to elect a new governor.
Soludo carefully retrieved his voter card from an envelope before casting his ballot, describing the voting arrangement at his unit as “smooth and well-organised.”
Speaking with journalists shortly after voting, the governor alleged that a candidate of a political party had been engaging in vote buying to sway voters at his polling unit.
Although he did not disclose the name of the candidate or the party involved, Soludo insisted that such practices threaten the credibility of the electoral process.
Earlier in the day, Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, and the party’s governorship candidate, George Moghalu, also cast their votes.
Both men raised alarm over widespread vote buying across multiple communities in the state. According to them, voters were being approached with financial inducements allegedly ranging between ₦10,000 and ₦15,000.
As voting continues across Anambra’s 21 LGAs, attention remains firmly on ensuring that the election is free from manipulation, voter inducement and intimidation.
The governorship race features 16 candidates, including Governor Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), who is seeking re-election amid mounting scrutiny over electoral integrity.
