Massive vote-buying characterised Saturday’s Ogbaru Federal Constituency supplementary election in Anambra State.
Three of the leading political parties in the election also reportedly unleashed thugs in various parts of the local government where the poll was being conducted.
The leading candidates in the election and their political parties are Afam Ogene of the Labour Party (LP), Chuchu Onyema of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Arinze Awogu of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
Many voting centres visited by our correspondent within the local government witnessed a huge influx of thugs amidst the massive deployment of security officials, including the police, navy and army personnel.
Journalists covering the exercise were reportedly attacked at Manus Primary School, Okpoko Ward 6, by suspected thugs.
“The suspected thugs, working for one of the candidates in the election, swooped on the reporters who rode in a vehicle with government number plate, suspecting them to be agents of the ruling party, All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA,” a source said.
Also, at Okpoko Ward 3, polling unit 004 at St Luke’s Anglican Church, agents of the PDP and APGA were seen in their camps, where they were making payments to voters who voted for their parties.
Canvassers of one of the parties mistook a journalist, Sunny Davis, for a voter who fixed him on the queue for payment, following his agreement to inquiries from the agents that he voted for their party.
The Nation.
