ADC Anambra South Senatorial Candidate Expresses Disappointment Over Last Saturday’s By-Election
Barrister Donald Chidi Amamgbo
The Action Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate for the Anambra South Senatorial Bye-Election held last Saturday, Barrister Donald Chidi Amamgbo, has expressed deep disappointment over the conduct and outcome of the exercise.
According to him, the election revealed a dangerous pattern of systemic sabotage, a desecration of democratic norms, widespread collusion, and the deliberate disenfranchisement of voters,an alarming trend that threatens the very soul of Nigeria’s democracy.
He stated, “Elections are meant to be the ultimate expression of the people’s will. Instead, what we witnessed was a carefully orchestrated charade designed to obfuscate, suffocate, and ultimately decimate the people’s voice and choice. The entire process was undermined, stripping it of credibility.”
Amamgbo alleged that on the eve of the election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deliberately withheld accreditation tags for ADC’s ward and local government collation agents, effectively crippling the party’s capacity to monitor and defend the vote at every critical stage of collation.
“Why, one might ask?” . “The answer lies in a juvenile attempt to discredit and demoralize the ADC, the foremost opposition party in Nigeria. Look no further than the loud and dismissive remarks made by Professor Charles Soludo, who claimed that ‘Labour and ADC parties are dead in Anambra.’ If that is truly the case, then Anambra South has become an electoral crime scene and Professor Soludo’s conduct is directly to blame.”he said.
He also alleged that in Ihiala, INEC circulated a doctored list of polling agents, which did not match the authentic list submitted by the party and duly uploaded to the INEC portal.
“These were not mistakes. They were not clerical errors. These were deliberate acts of sabotage,” “How can an election be deemed free and fair when one party is denied the right to have collation agents? That’s akin to asking a team to play football blindfolded while the referee looks the other way.”Amamgbo said.
He claimed that this sabotage was anything but random.
Amamgbo said , it was a calculated and deliberate orchestration by the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), which he described as a political “cult” in Anambra State.
“Perhaps most disturbing,is how the APGA-led government has normalized vote-buying, fully aware that the impoverished and exploited citizens of Anambra will accept money in exchange for their votes just to survive another day.”
“At the heart of this charade is a Senator-elect completely beholden to Governor Charles Soludo. This is not democracy. It is puppetry,” “Ndi Anambra South do not need a puppet senator. They need an independent voice,someone who owes allegiance only to the people, not to any godfather or governor.”he stated.
He stressed that the election was not just about himself or the ADC.
“The real victims are the people of Anambra South. They were denied the opportunity to elect a candidate who campaigned transparently, who personally financed his campaign, who made no deals with godfathers, and who pledged to serve only the people.”
“When you deny the people their choice, you deny them justice. When you destroy faith in the ballot, you destroy democracy itself. And every time this happens, our children pay the price. A society that deprives its people of hope cannot prosper.”he added.
He cautioned against brushing aside the election as “one of those things,” warning that doing so would amount to enabling a dangerous precedent.
“This is a cautionary tale of how vested interests and compromised institutions hijack and eviscerate the people’s will.”he stated.
Amamgbo called for the following immediate actions,A thorough review of the entire electoral process in Anambra South to uncover and address the sabotage that occurred,Institutional reforms within INEC to guarantee its independence, transparency, and accountability, Proper voter and agent education, enabling citizens to understand their rights, defend their votes, and resist manipulation and an end to the culture of collusion, where political parties, godfathers, and electoral umpires work together to suppress genuine democratic choice.
“Fellow Nigerians, Ndi Anambra South—democracy is not a privilege granted to the people; it is their inherent right. The mandate of our people must no longer be stolen through systemic sabotage and manipulation,”.
“This struggle is bigger than me. It is about safeguarding the future of our democracy and restoring faith in the ballot. I will continue to stand with the people, speak for the voiceless, and resist every attempt to reduce our democracy to an empty, meaningless ritual.”
“Anambra South deserves better. Nigeria deserves better. And until we achieve that, I will not stop speaking.” he added.
