By Boluwatife Adedokun
Tension gripped Polling Unit 6, Unity Primary School Mgbago, Ward 13, Umeri, in Anambra East Local Government Area on Saturday morning as chaos erupted amid allegations of vote buying and electoral manipulation.
According to reports obtained by the Harbinger correspondent under the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID), party agents from the Young Progressives Party (YPP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) were allegedly seen writing down the names of voters after they cast their ballots, raising concerns about voter inducement and intimidation.
Eyewitnesses at the scene said YPP agents reportedly distributed cash gifts of ₦5,000 alongside small bags of rice to voters willing to support their party. Elderly and vulnerable voters were said to be visibly confused and pressured into compliance, while an All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) agent was also observed monitoring the balloting area to identify voter choices — an action that contravenes electoral laws.
Efforts by the Supervising Presiding Officer (SPO) to restore calm were met with resistance as the situation briefly degenerated into shouting and confrontation among party representatives. Both armed and unarmed security personnel were later deployed to the polling unit to maintain order and ensure the continuation of the voting process.
As of 10:04 a.m., voting was ongoing under tense conditions, with election observers calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enforce stricter measures to curb vote buying and ensure the integrity of the electoral process.
