Mr John Chuma Nwosu (JCN), the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate in the November 8 Anambra governorship election, has rejected the outcome of the poll, describing it as a “ruse and a total subversion of the people’s will.”
In a statement issued on Sunday, Nwosu alleged that the election was marred by massive vote buying and financial inducement at polling units across the state.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) winner of the election with 422,664 votes. Chief Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) came second with 99,445 votes, while Nwosu polled 8,208 votes.
Nwosu, however, claimed that “the people of Anambra had not truly spoken,” insisting that the process was compromised.
“In almost every polling unit, voters were openly induced with cash ranging from ₦3,000 to ₦20,000, turning the entire process into a marketplace rather than a democratic exercise,” he said.
He described the development as “a national embarrassment and a direct assault on the integrity of Nigeria’s democracy.”
“It was a win bought with cash and a loss for democracy. True victory is judged not by the outcome but by the integrity of the process,” he added.
The ADC candidate criticised the failure of relevant institutions to safeguard the sanctity of the ballot, saying the system “lost its moral right to declare winners.”
He called for an end to what he described as the growing culture of electoral corruption, warning that the conscience of the country’s democracy “has been wounded.”
“When votes are bought, the future is sold. What we witnessed was not the expression of choice, but the triumph of desperation and greed over justice and fairness,” he said.
Nwosu expressed appreciation to members of his party and campaign team “for standing tall in the face of intimidation and inducement,” and for choosing “the path of honour, truth and conviction over convenience.”
