The Adamawa State House of Assembly by-election in Ganye Constituency, held today, has been overshadowed by disturbing reports of rampant vote-buying allegedly perpetrated by agents of both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), despite a visible deployment of security personnel across the area.
Polling began early with a high turnout, especially among elderly voters, and was largely peaceful on the surface. However, tensions quickly escalated as party representatives traded accusations of electoral malpractice. Local observers and party officials reported that agents from both major parties were seen offering cash and material incentives to sway voters at polling units.
Farouk Mohammed, Chairman of Ganye Local Government, accused APC operatives of attempting to buy votes, stating, “The APC chieftains are busy buying votes because their government has failed woefully, so they don’t have what to tell Nigerians”. In response, APC’s Adamawa State Organising Secretary, Mustapha Ribadu, denied the allegations and countered with claims that PDP agents were the ones engaging in vote-buying tactics.
The PDP State Chairman, Ahmed Shehu, further alleged that APC had distributed fertilizer and other items in the lead-up to the election as part of a vote-buying strategy. “We have told our people to accept whatever APC is giving them but to make the right choice,” Shehu said.
Despite the presence of soldiers and other security operatives who maintained order and restricted vehicular movement, the allegations of vote-buying have cast a shadow over the credibility of the electoral process. No major disruptions were reported, but the integrity of the vote remains in question.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has yet to issue an official statement addressing the allegations. Civil society groups and election monitors are calling for a thorough investigation and urging INEC to ensure transparency in the collation and announcement of results.