The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned the conduct of the Anambra 2025 governorship election, warning that the level of vote-buying and institutional complacency witnessed during the exercise posed a serious threat to the credibility of the 2027 general elections.
The criticism came only hours after President Bola Tinubu congratulated Governor Chukwuma Soludo on his re-election, calling the results “an affirmation of visionary leadership” and promising a stronger partnership between the Federal Government and Anambra State.
However, the ADC had a different perspective.
On Sunday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Bolaji Abdullahi, issued a statement claiming that the election had been turned into a cash-for-votes bazaar.
Abdullahi also issued a warning that Nigeria’s democracy risked being hollowed out if electoral institutions failed to act.
“The African Democratic Congress has observed the conduct of the just-concluded Anambra gubernatorial election with a deep sense of concern for the electoral process in Nigeria.
“What unfolded in Anambra was, regrettably, a cash-drenched spectacle that was more of a bazaar than an election. This undermines the very essence of democracy,” the statement partly read.
The ADC accused the incumbent and his party of orchestrating widespread financial inducement.
“We wish to state categorically that, as has been widely reported and clearly shown to Nigerians and the international community, this election was highly monetized, with the incumbent and his party seen to have participated in several forms and styles of cash-for-votes.
“At polling units across the state, bundles of naira notes changed hands in full view. This was a brazen violation of the Electoral Act, whose foundation had been laid by the governor himself well ahead of the election,” he said.
Abdullahi also faulted the conduct of security agencies and electoral officials.
“Even more troubling was the apparent silence—and in some instances, visible inaction—of institutions mandated to enforce electoral integrity. Security operatives stood by as voters were harassed and compromised, while electoral officials, overwhelmed or indifferent, failed to uphold even the most basic standards.
“If this is the manner in which INEC intends to conduct the 2027 general election, then Nigerians have every reason to be worried about the future of our democracy, especially at a time when the state of our nation is under the microscope of the international community,” he stated.
Chronicle NG reports that Soludo was declared the winner of the off-cycle poll after he swept all 21 local government areas.
Soloudo polled 422,664 votes to defeat the All Progressives Congress candidate, Nicholas Ukachukwu, who scored 99,445 votes, while the Young Progressives Party candidate, Paul Chukwuma, came third with 37,753 votes.
