The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa) says the Anambra governorship election was marred by vote buying and apathy.

Ernest Aniche, of the Election Analysis Centre at CDD-West Africa, stated this during the preliminary report on the election, after monitoring the process in the 21 local government areas on Saturday.

Mr Aniche said the election raised concerns about voter apathy, low electoral competitiveness, and the fragility of key electoral institutions, blaming the apathy on public distrust in INEC following the 2023 elections, fears of violence or manipulation, and intra-party divisions.

CDD-EAC said 72.2 per cent of polling units opened on time, with officials present before 8:30 a.m.; 19.5 per cent opened between 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., while 1.5 per cent began operations after 9:00 a.m.

“However, 5.4 per cent of polling units experienced significant delays, with officials arriving after 10:00 a.m.

“These figures reflect generally effective early deployment by INEC across most areas.

“Party agents offered voters up to N10,000 and N5,000, depending on the location. For example, in Achina and in Aguata LGA, agents distributed N5,000 and N2,000 payments to voters.

In Anambra South, similar patterns were recorded. At Ichi in Ekwusigo LGA and Achina in Aguata LGA, with agents distributing cash payments ranging from ₦2,000 to ₦5,000 in rooms situated directly across from polling units.

“At Igboukwu, party agents were seen distributing N5,000 to voters openly, without any response or deterrent from security personnel,” he said.

The CDD West Africa said INEC failed to visibly display the zero count in some locations and for strict compliance with operational guidelines.

It said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) failed to capture thumbprints in some cases without corrective measures in place.

On security, CDD said personnel were present at 87.3 per cent of polling units observed, while 12.7 per cent recorded no security presence at the time of observation.

“In locations where officers were deployed, the security presence consisted of an average of three to four officers per unit, contributing to a calm and orderly voting environment in most cases.

“Polling units with fewer registered voters showed inadequate security coverage, which aligns with the 12.7 per cent of polling units that had no security personnel present,” he said.

(NAN)