Anambra By-Election: ADC Candidate Azuka Alleges Vote Buying
By Chinwe Nwacha, Onitsha
One of the candidates in the Onitsha North 1 State Constituency by-election, Mrs. Justina Amaka Azuka of the African DemocraticAnambra Congress (ADC), has alleged incidents of vote buying during Saturday’s exercise.
Speaking with journalists shortly after casting her ballot at Ward 4, Unit 004, St. Stephen’s Road, Inland Town, Onitsha, Azuka said she had been receiving distress calls from supporters reporting irregularities in some remote quarters of the constituency.
“I have been getting several calls since morning. People are telling me that thugs are beating voters, vandalizing ballot materials, and using money to buy votes. There is no problem here in my ward, but those reports are disturbing. Nevertheless, I trust God in everything,” she said.
Azuka, who is the widow of late Hon. Justice Azuka, noted that the calls were putting her under pressure but insisted she remained confident.
On her part, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate, Mimi Ifeoma Azikiwe, described the process as peaceful, saying voting was progressing smoothly across most polling units.
“I have not seen any violence where I visited, except for a distress call from a location I have not yet confirmed. INEC did very well. They arrived early with voting materials across the 166 polling units,” Azikiwe said. She added that she was optimistic of victory, noting she had run an intensive campaign.
See also Peter Obi Visits Woman Attacked By Hoodlums During Presidential Election In Lagos
Also speaking, the Anambra State Commissioner for Youth Development, Hon. Patrick Aghamba, commended the turnout, stressing that the process was generally orderly.
“I voted in my ward, Ward 3, Unit 005. There was no vote buying where I observed. This election is about the people’s choice. All political parties participated, but Anambra is APGA’s base. People came out because of what the Governor is doing. We expect APGA to emerge victorious,” he said.
Meanwhile, media monitoring teams reported that voting was ongoing in several polling units including Ward 4-007, Ward 6-009, Ward 4-008, Ward 3-019, and Ward 4-018, among others.
