By Akinwale Kasali
George Moghalu, Labour Party, LP, Governorship Candidate has rejected the result of the November 8, 2025 poll in which incumbent Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Moghalu in an interview with journalists in his Nnewi office on Sunday, less than six hours after the official declaration of results, said he was dissatisfied with the conduct of the election and alleged that several irregularities occurred during the process.
He claimed that the exercise was marred by what he described as widespread vote buying and reports of underage voting in some areas.
“The November 8, 2025 governorship election in Anambra State, in my view, fell short of expectations. I hereby reject it in its entirety.
“I have contested in previous elections, but this one was different. The level of vote buying was alarming.”
He further alleged that minors were seen in possession of voter cards and that some were allowed to vote.
“Children who were not supposed to be carrying voter cards were openly seen with them and allowed to vote,” he claimed. “These are issues that raise questions about the integrity of the process.”
He also said he received reports from his team that in some polling units the LP name appeared on the ballot paper without the party’s logo, making it difficult for voters to identify the party’s position on the ballot.
Moghalu stressed that he would make a more detailed statement after receiving a comprehensive report from his agents across the state.
“Once I get the full report of the election, we will analyse it and then determine our next course of action. But one thing is clear: I reject the result,” he said.
Also, African Democratic Congress, ADC, governorship candidate in Anambra State, John Chuma Nwosu, has rejected the re-election of Governor Chukwuma Soludo, saying the poll was heavily tainted by open vote buying that robbed the process of credibility.
In a statement personally signed on Sunday, Nwosu described the election as a national disgrace, insisting that the level of financial inducement witnessed at polling units made the exercise anything but democratic.
“I, John Chuma Nwosu (JCN), the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), hereby categorically reject the outcome of the just-concluded gubernatorial election in Anambra State,” he said.
According to Nwosu, “Cash payments of between N3,000 and N20,000 were openly offered to voters in many areas, turning the contest into a cash-for-ballots affair rather than a genuine test of the people’s will.
“What took place yesterday was a ruse and total subversion of the people’s will, marred by massive vote buying and shameless financial inducement at polling units across the state. By every account, the people have not spoken,” he stated.
He however declined to comment on whether he would challenge the result in court but stressed that no victory could be meaningful if achieved through a flawed process.
“True victory is judged not by the outcome, but by the integrity of the process,” he said.
He argued that any election tainted by corruption and manipulation could never speak for the people, insisting that a flawed process can only produce a flawed mandate.
He also criticised institutions responsible for ensuring electoral transparency, saying their failure had stripped them of the moral authority to announce winners.
“The conscience of our democracy has been wounded. When votes are bought, the future is sold. What we witnessed was not the expression of choice, but the glaring triumph of desperation and greed over the principles of justice and fairness,” Nwosu said.
He maintained that Anambra deserved a better, cleaner electoral experience and noted that his campaign was built on values, transparency, and the elimination of corruption, not on desperation for power.
“This struggle continues. We will not surrender. We will not be silent. Our movement will keep pressing until the people of Anambra can freely choose their leaders without fear or inducement,” he stated.
Nwosu praised his supporters, party members, volunteers, and campaign team for resisting intimidation and refusing to be bought during the poll.
