Advocacy Groups Call for Stringent Measures Against Vote-buying, Electoral Malpractices

By Praise Chinecherem

Catch Them Young Community Initiative (CATYCOI) and Access to Justice/Democratic & Electoral Integrity, Public and Private Development Center (PPDC) have called for strengthening of enforcement of laws against vote buying and electoral malpractices.

The groups made the call on Tuesday in Awka, Anambra state during a post-election press briefing on collective findings from observation of the last Saturday’s Anambra State governorship election.

Addressing newsmen, Executive Director, CATYCOI, Nonso Orakwe said the call followed glaring incidents of vote buying during the exercise which he said remained significant challenge and undermine electoral credibility.

He also identified voter apathy as another setback to the exercise, describing it as urgent issue that require collective action.

He called on INEC, civil society organizations, development partners, and community leaders to intensify voter education and civic engagement to rebuild public trust.

He said, “INEC should strengthen logistical planning and staff deployment to ensure timely arrival of personnel across all polling units.

“The commission should also improve BVAS synchronization for new registrants.

“It should work closely with grassroots organizations for continuous civic enlightenment as well as enhance monitoring and reporting of online misinformation and political manipulation,” he added.

Earlier, Program Officer, Abdullahi Rufai described the election as largely peaceful, attributing it to conduct of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security personnel as well as citizens who came out to vote without major disruption.

“From our observation, we can confidently say that the 2025 Anambra off-cycle governorship election was largely peaceful and orderly while the conduct of INEC officials, security agencies and citizens deserves commendation,” he added.

While noting that the incidents of low voter turnout and persistent incidents of vote buying did not lead to violence, Abdullahi stressed that both issues remained major threat to electoral credibility and long-term public trust.

He said,” Our observations also show that citizens are increasingly willing to accept election outcomes peacefully, with community and religious leaders playing significant roles in preventing post-election tension.

“However, PPDC and CATYCOI remain fully committed to promoting democratic transparency, civic participation, and accountability across Nigeria.

“We appreciate the cooperation of citizens, observers, community groups, and the media in ensuring peaceful elections.”