EFCC arrests 3 suspects for vote-buying during Anambra election

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested at least three individuals suspected of engaging in vote-buying during the Anambra State governorship election held on Saturday.
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The arrests were made by EFCC operatives monitoring the electoral process across different parts of the state, including Njikoka, Oyi, and Dukonukofia Local Government Areas. The anti-graft agency stated that the suspects will be charged in court once investigations are concluded.
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The Anambra governorship election was marked by high security deployment and the use of new electoral technologies, yet it was overshadowed by persistent allegations of vote-buying and voter inducement from various political stakeholders.
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Labour Party candidate George Moghalu and incumbent Governor Chukwuma Soludo both publicly alleged vote-buying.  Soludo specifically claimed that a rival party was sharing up to ₦15,000 per voter in certain areas.
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However, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), through the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Queen Agwu, firmly denied the existence of widespread vote-buying, stating that no credible evidence had been presented to the commission’s situation room. The EFCC’s arrests, confirmed that the crime did occur, with tangible evidence to back the claim, countering the INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner’s denial.
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The EFCC disclosed the arrests via a statement shared on its official social media pages on Saturday, giving the locations of the apprehensions.
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The arrests validate the concerns raised by political figures like George Moghalu, who described the practice as most unfortunate and warned that the crime undermines the integrity of the electoral process.
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