The Anambra Affront: How Soludo’s ‘Historic’ Victory Signals a Death Knell for Nigerian Democracy -By Jeff Okoroafor

In what was billed as a coronation rather than a contest, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) was recently declared the winner of the Anambra State gubernatorial election in a landslide so comprehensive it defies belief. The headlines screamed of a historic feat: a clean sweep of all 21 Local Government Areas. The official narrative, dutifully parroted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and amplified by congratulatory messages from President Bola Tinubu and others, is one of a performing governor rewarded by a grateful populace.

But peel back the veneer of this manufactured triumph, and a far more sinister and familiar Nigerian story emerges—one of systemic vote-buying, brazen voter inducement, and a complicit electoral body. Soludo’s victory is not a testament to his performance; it is a masterclass in the monetization of democracy, and a chilling preview of the 2027 general elections if urgent action is not taken.

The Anatomy of a Rigged Election

The evidence of malpractice in the Anambra election is not hidden; it is dismissed. Opposition candidates from the Labour Party (LP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have been unequivocal in their rejection of the results. Dr. George Moghalu of the LP described the exercise as “a sham,” citing “alarming” vote-buying, widespread underage voting, and the mysterious disappearance of his party’s logo from ballots. John Nwosu of the ADC was even more blunt, labeling it “a national disgrace” where “cash, not voters, delivered Soludo’s victory.”

These are not the generic, sour-grapes complaints of losers. They are specific allegations that point to a coordinated strategy of voter suppression and financial inducement. In the context of Nigeria’s current economic desperation, where hyperinflation and a crippling cost-of-living crisis have pushed millions to the brink, the power of a N5,000 note or a bag of rice cannot be overstated. For a family struggling to eat, the immediate relief offered by a party agent outweighs the abstract promise of good governance in four years.

The modus operandi is well-documented by civil society observers: party agents, armed with vast sums of money, positioned themselves near polling units. Voters were approached, their voter cards verified, and payment was made either before they entered the booth or after they showed their thumb-printed ballot. In some cases, the bidding was open, with agents from different parties engaging in a perverse auction for the conscience of the electorate. Soludo’s APGA, as the party in power with access to state resources and the backing of powerful interests, simply outgunned and outspent everyone.

The silence of INEC on these glaring irregularities is deafening. By declaring the election “free and fair” in record time, the commission abdicated its constitutional responsibility. Its failure to promptly investigate these allegations, or even acknowledge their prevalence, makes it a co-conspirator in this democratic heist. The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) is right to demand a probe, but the history of such demands in Nigeria is a history of ignored letters and buried reports.

The Chilling Preview for 2027

The Anambra election is not an isolated incident; it is a stress test for the 2027 general elections. And the results are catastrophic. The message sent to Nigeria’s political class is clear: vote-buying works. Impunity is guaranteed. The sophisticated network of financial inducement perfected in a state-level election can and will be scaled up for a national contest.

President Tinubu’s swift congratulatory message, praising the “vitality of our political system,” is particularly cynical. It signals that the ruling elite at the highest level has no appetite for genuine electoral reform. A compromised INEC that can deliver a “credible” election in the face of such overwhelming evidence of fraud is an INEC that is perfectly primed to deliver the desired outcomes for the national ruling party in 2027. The appointment of INEC officials, their funding, and their operational independence remain subject to the influence of the very center of power that benefits from their complacency.

If a governor can “win” every single LGA with such a staggering margin in a diverse and politically savvy state like Anambra, what stops a sitting president from engineering a similar “historic” victory across the 36 states? The blueprint is now public. The 2027 election is not an event to look forward to; it is a foregone conclusion we should dread.

A Clarion Call to Action

Nigerians must wake up from their slumber. The collective outrage that followed the flawed 2023 general elections seems to have dissipated, replaced by a debilitating fatigue. But the theft of an election in Anambra is a theft from every single Nigerian who believes in the power of their vote.

We must demand, with one voice, the following:

1. An Independent Forensic Audit: The allegations of vote-buying in Anambra must be investigated by an independent panel, with its findings made public and perpetrators prosecuted. The EFCC and ICPC must be pressured to act, not just issue statements.

2. Total Electoral Reform: The National Assembly must be compelled to pass comprehensive electoral reforms that make vote-buying practically impossible. This includes stricter campaign finance laws, the criminalization of the act of receiving inducement to vote, and the introduction of technology that enhances transparency, not just spectacle.

3. INEC Overhaul: INEC must be restructured to become truly independent. Its chairman and commissioners should be appointed through a bipartisan process that insulates them from executive manipulation. Their operational integrity, particularly in the collation and transmission of results, must be beyond reproach.

4. Citizen Vigilance: Nigerians must reclaim their sovereignty. This means shunning the paltry sums offered for their votes, monitoring elections actively, documenting malpractices, and holding their leaders accountable at every step.

The victory lap in Anambra is a dance on the grave of Nigerian democracy. When Professor Soludo boasts, “You have not seen anything yet,” he may be unintentionally prophetic. Unless we act now, the “anything” we haven’t seen will be the final, irreversible capture of the Nigerian state by a cabal of moneybags who have learned that every citizen, and every vote, has a price. We must prove them wrong before it is too late. The battle for 2027 starts today, on the streets, in the courts, and in the collective conscience of a nation on the brink.

Jeff Okoroafor

Jeff Okoroafor is a social accountability advocate and a political commentator focused on governance, accountability, and social justice in West Africa.