Barrister Donald Chidi Amamgbo, the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate in the just-concluded Anambra South Senatorial By-Election, has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) of orchestrating systemic sabotage and undermining the will of the people.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, August 19, in Awka, Amamgbo described the entire election as a “carefully orchestrated charade designed to suffocate and decimate the people’s voice and choice.”
He alleged that INEC deliberately withheld tags for ADC ward and local government collation agents on the eve of the election, crippling his party’s ability to defend its votes at collation centers.
“How can an election be free and fair when one party is denied collation agents? That is like asking a team to play football blindfolded while the referee looks the other way,” Amamgbo queried.
According to him, in Ihiala Local Government Area, INEC circulated a doctored list of polling agents, which did not tally with the authentic list duly submitted by ADC and uploaded on the commission’s portal. He dismissed these irregularities as “acts of sabotage” rather than clerical errors.
Amamgbo accused APGA of normalizing vote-buying, exploiting the economic hardship faced by citizens to induce voters with money. He further alleged that the declared Senator-elect is nothing more than a puppet under the control of Governor Charles Soludo.
“Ndi Anambra South do not need a puppet senator. They need an independent voice who owes allegiance only to the people, not to any godfather or governor,” he said.
The ADC candidate maintained that the real victims of the flawed process were the people of Anambra South, who were denied the opportunity to elect a candidate “who campaigned transparently, funded his own movement, and made no deals with godfathers.”
Amamgbo called for:
A thorough review of the entire electoral process in Anambra South.
Institutional reforms within INEC to guarantee independence and accountability.
Proper voter and agent education to empower citizens to defend their votes.
An end to the culture of collusion between political godfathers, parties, and electoral umpires.
He insisted that democracy in Nigeria is being eroded through manipulation and disenfranchisement.
“When you deny the people their choice, you deny them justice. When you destroy faith in the ballot, you destroy democracy itself,” Amamgbo warned.
The ADC candidate vowed not to relent in speaking against electoral malpractice, stressing that the struggle was bigger than his candidacy but about restoring faith in Nigeria’s democracy.
