Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought,Sam Amadi, says Nigeria’s recent Anambra State governorship election exposed persistent electoral challenges, including widespread vote buying, low voter turnout, and undue influence by political elites.
In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Sunday, Amadi said: “I don’t think we’re making any progress. This election has demonstrated that you have a political class that will continue to weaponize poverty and do everything possible to influence voting choices. In the Anambra elections, we clearly saw instances of vote buying, with votes sold for as high as 10,000 or 15,000 naira from our observation.”
Amadi, whose organisation participated in election observation alongside six others, explained the scale of malpractice: “We jointly deployed 711 observers across the entire state. Each organization reported cases of vote buying. There are now sophisticated ways of buying votes — cash deployed to polling units, POS devices used, and records of voters kept for post-voting inducements. The EFCC arrested only three persons, but the actual scale is far greater. There is a great need for accountability.”
He described voter apathy as equally concerning, noting only a slight increase in turnout since the last elections: “In the 2021 Anambra election, only 10 percent of registered voters showed up. This time we saw just a 10 percent increase. It leaves credence to the urgency for a national conversation about voter turnout. Citizens are not exercising their franchise despite INEC providing an enabling environment and security agencies ensuring safety.”
Despite these challenges, Amadi acknowledged improvements in election administration: “INEC performed creditably well. Election logistics improved; 49 percent of polling units opened on time compared to 17 percent in 2021. The IREF functioned optimally, with results uploaded within six hours of poll closure. Security agencies were professional, and there was no interference in this election.”
Yet, he stressed that the overarching challenge remains political: “The biggest challenge for our elections is not technical; it is political. If politicians resist the temptation to interfere with INEC and security agencies, our democracy will flourish. Undue interference undermines the integrity of elections and the will of the people.”
Amadi also warned of potential issues ahead of upcoming elections: “There are three major elections next year: the FCT Municipal Council, Ikiti, and Osun. We need institutions to demonstrate the same resilience, efficiency, and integrity. The Anambra election shows our institutions can work if left to do their jobs, but until the political elite respect this, our democracy remains at risk.”
He highlighted the broader implications for governance: “The environment was safe and secure, but if voters still don’t show up, it means political actors are not speaking in a language people understand. They cannot rely on vote buying as a substitute for delivering quality governance and improving socioeconomic conditions. Until this is addressed, citizens will see no reason to participate.”
Amadi concluded: “The Anambra election reflected the will of the people, albeit with slight improvements in turnout. Integrity was largely preserved, and incidents were minimal compared to previous elections. But the persistent issue of vote buying, low turnout, and elite manipulation of democracy gives us serious cause for concern.”
Boluwatife Enome
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