CSO: Anambra guber election marred by breaches of ballot secrecy, vote-buying

The Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), a civil society organisation (CSO), says the November 8 Anambra governorship election was characterised by widespread breaches of ballot secrecy.

In a post-election statement released in Abuja on Friday, KDI said many voters, across several polling units, openly showed their marked ballot papers to party agents before leaving the polling booth.

The organisation said the patterns were documented across all 326 wards in the state.

It noted that many polling units were arranged in a way that made it easy for party agents to monitor voters.

The CSO added that poor enforcement of guidelines allowed political actors to exploit structural weaknesses in the system.

“Our observers reported widespread instances where voters openly displayed their marked ballots to party agents after voting,” the statement reads.

“In some cases, party agents led voters away from the polling units after verifying their votes before distributing rewards.

“Such practices undermine the integrity of the electoral process and signal a tacit tolerance across multiple political parties for behaviours that compromise voter autonomy.

“Vote trading in Anambra was observed in multiple forms, ranging from the exchange of small items such as snacks and beverages to cash inducements.

“The compromise of ballot secrecy has direct implications for the credibility and fairness of the electoral process. It facilitates coercion, encourages transactional voting, and diminishes public confidence in the integrity of elections.”

KDI also criticised the passivity of security personnel who, despite being present in most polling units, failed to intervene in incidents of open vote buying.

The CSO said it documented 35 incidents of election-related violence across the state, including voter intimidation, clashes, ballot box snatching, and accidental discharge by a security officer.

It noted that there were 18 cases of voter intimidation, 14 group clashes, and one incident of ballot box snatching, which it noted was contained by security personnel.

“The most serious incident occurred in Orumba south LGA, where a councillor was fatally shot. Oyi LGA recorded the highest number of incidents with fourteen cases, followed by Njikoka, Ogbaru, Anambra West, Onitsha North, Orumba South, and other LGAs,” KDI said.

“Post-election tensions were also reported. A confrontation between soldiers and police officers occurred at a checkpoint along Onitsha Road on Sunday, as officers were returning from duty.

“The argument escalated, leading to gunfire by soldiers. One police officer was shot in the chest, while others sustained injuries.

“Although this incident occurred outside the polling cycle, it presents a concerning signal regarding inter-agency coordination and underscores the need for strengthened protocols to prevent operational disputes during and after elections.”

KDI said despite the 35 verified incidents, the broader field data indicate that the election environment remained relatively calm in most polling units, adding that most security-related disruptions were localised and did not escalate into widespread violence across the state.

KDI commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the timely publication of 98 percent of polling-unit results on the IReV portal, noting that it enhanced transparency and public confidence.