By Kenny Obiukwu
As the Anambra South senatorial bye-election gears towards conclusion, the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) is leading, though alleged to be neck deep in vote buying.
A visit to many polling units in Nnewi South, Nnewi North , Ihiala and Ekwusigo LGAs revealed that APGA has been allegedly offering and inducing voters and potential voters from between ten thousand Naira and twenty-five thousand Naira per vote.
Outside the malaise of vote buying and inducement, the process was peaceful, smooth with a sizeable turnout at several polling units.
At Osumenyi, the home town of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, similar development was reported.
In Ukpor, the home town of the APGA candidate in the bye election, Dr Emma Nwachukwu, the story was reportedly the same.
“They came here and gave everybody money ranging from N10, 000 to 25000. There was hunger in the land, some of us rejected their overtures but others didn’t.
“This is a travesty of democracy, it is indeed a sad to see this happen in State where a Professor is a Governor. This kind of desperation is electoral fraud.
“Just hope that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would take judicial notice of the ugly development in Nnewi South, Nnewi North, Ekwusigo and Ihiala LGAs particularly, “Madam Comfort Okoye said.
Reacting, the Commissioner for Industry, Hon Christian Udechukwu debunked the vote buying allegations. He said what Governor Charles Soludo had done in the first tenure in Anambra State were reasons for the APGA success in the by-election, that it influenced the voting pattern of the electorate.
He said the allegations were coming from the opposition who had been rejected at the polls.
The final situation is yet to unfold.
