The Labour Party (LP) candidate in the November 8, 2025, Anambra State governorship election, George Moghalu, has rejected the result announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), alleging that the poll was marred by vote buying and underage voting.
The election, held across all 21 local government areas of Anambra State in southeastern Nigeria, saw Governor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) declared winner after securing 422,664 votes. According to the Returning Officer and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin, Prof. Edoba Omoregie, Nicholas Ukachukwu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) came second with 99,445 votes, while Paul Chukwuma of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) finished third with 37,753 votes. Moghalu placed fourth, polling 10,576 votes.
Okay News reports that 16 candidates representing 16 political parties participated in the election.
Speaking at his campaign office in Nnewi on Sunday, Moghalu expressed strong dissatisfaction with the conduct of the poll, describing it as “deeply flawed.”
“The exercise was marred by widespread vote buying and reports of underage voting in some areas. The November 8, 2025, governorship election in Anambra State, in my view, fell short of expectations. I hereby reject it in its entirety,” he declared.
Moghalu further alleged that minors were allowed to vote, saying:
“Children who were not supposed to be carrying voter cards were openly seen with them and allowed to vote. These are issues that raise questions about the integrity of the process.”
He also complained that in some polling units, the Labour Party’s name appeared on the ballot without its official logo, making it difficult for voters to identify the party.
“I received reports from my team that in some polling units the LP name appeared on the ballot paper without the party’s logo,” he noted.
The LP candidate stated that his campaign team was still compiling reports from agents across the state before determining the next line of action.
“Once I get the full report of the election, we will analyse it and then determine our next course of action. But one thing is clear: I reject the result,” he added.
Moghalu said he was not yet considering a legal challenge, stressing that such a decision would only be made after reviewing all available evidence. He also addressed reports that some LP agents were missing from polling units, explaining that some might have left out of frustration due to irregularities witnessed during the exercise.
