- Safiu Kehinde
The cases of vote buying in the ongoing Anambra governorship election has taken a fresh twist as angry voters promised payment after voting tore a list of names compiled by their vote buyers who reportedly ran out of money.
Coupled with reports and other posts disclosing the vote buying activities across several polling units in the state, a video shared on X on Saturday further affirmed the occurrence of the act in the election.
As captured in the video recorded at Polling Unit 005, Ward 10, Onitsha North Local Government Area, the list comprising names of the voters was ripped into two after the vote buyers told them they are out of money to share.
The suspected vote buyers were alleged to be members of the All Porgressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
The development affirmed the claims made by former governor of the state and the 2023 Labour Party’s Presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
NPO Reported that Obi had decried the spate of vote buying in the election after casting his vote at his polling unit in Umudimakasi Agulu ward 2, Anaocha Local Government Area.
Obi called for end to the development which he described as worrisome.
In the same vein, the Labour Party’s candidate for the election, George Moghalu, also expressed his displeasure with what he labelled as poverty weaponisation.
Addressing newsmen after voting at his polling unit in Uruagu Ward 1, Nnewi Norht LGA, Moghalu said that information available to him indicated that votes are being bough communities across the state with sums ranging from N10,000 to N15,000.
In reaction to the reports, the state governor, Chukwuma Soludo, acknowledged the spate of vote buying in the election.
He however allayed concern over its impact on his re-election bid as he held that he will win by landslide.