A civic organisation, Citizen Monitors, has raised alarm over what it described as the growing acceptance of vote buying as a “normal part” of Nigeria’s elections, following widespread reports of financial inducement during last weekend’s Anambra governorship election.
In a statement signed on Tuesday by the group’s Head of Communications, Olajumoke Alawode-James, Citizen Monitors said the election may have appeared peaceful on the surface but was deeply marred by “cash-for-vote transactions” and “subtle voter coercion” at polling units.
“Anambra has voted. On paper, it looked calm and orderly. But underneath that calm, reports showed a different story—cash quietly exchanging hands, voters being pressured, and the people’s will being traded,” the statement read.
The group warned that visible orderliness—such as queues and functioning BVAS machines—should not be mistaken for electoral credibility if corruption at the polls remains unchecked.
“You can have perfect queues and working machines, yet still run an election where the real contest is who can buy people’s hardship the cheapest,” Citizen Monitors added. “When citizens collect money out of survival, the ballot may be secret, but their will has already been sold.”
The organisation’s co-founder, Adeshope Haastrup, cautioned that normalising such behaviour could destroy the foundation of Nigeria’s democracy.
“We cannot pretend that normalised vote buying is democracy. If Nigerians quietly accept this pattern, we are not choosing leaders—we’re deciding the kind of country our children will inherit,” Haastrup warned.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) winner of the election, ahead of candidates from the Labour Party and the All Progressives Congress. However, the poll has continued to stir controversy, with opposition candidates alleging large-scale vote buying, voter intimidation, and underage participation.
Although INEC dismissed reports of widespread inducement, saying no formal evidence had been submitted, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) confirmed the arrest of three suspected vote buyers during the exercise.
Citizen Monitors called on the electoral body, security agencies, and anti-graft institutions to treat such reports as serious electoral crimes rather than isolated incidents.
“INEC, the police, and anti-corruption agencies must take this as a warning, not a footnote,” the group stressed. “Silence or indifference will only legalise vote buying and weaken public faith in democracy.”
Alawode-James urged Nigerians to reject any form of monetary inducement and to play active roles in documenting irregularities during elections.
“If this election upset you, don’t waste the anger. Turn it into a decision: I won’t sell my vote. I will record the truth. I will wake my street,” she said. “We either all rise together, or we all sink together.”
Citizen Monitors concluded that the Anambra experience should serve as a national wake-up call before the 2027 general elections, stressing that the future of Nigeria’s democracy depends on citizens’ collective choices in the coming years.
“Anambra is not the end of a story—it’s the start of a warning. Between now and 2027, what Nigerians do will decide whether the next election is another market day or the moment we finally choose dignity over price,” the group said.
