By NEFISHETU YAKUBU

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has expressed dissatisfaction with the conduct of the Saturday Anambra governorship election, describing it as a ‘heavily-monetised process’ that undermines democracy.

In a statement on Sunday in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party accused the ruling All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in Anambra of engaging in widespread cash-for-votes.

Abdullahi also decried what he called the silence of security agencies and the inaction of electoral officials, saying that it compromised democratic values.

The party, while expressing ‘great concern’ over the conduct of the poll, said it was a “cash-drenched spectacle” that resembled a political bazaar rather than an election, which undermined the very essence of democracy.

“We wish to state categorically that, as had been widely reported and clearly shown to Nigerians and the international community, this election was highly monetised.

“At polling units across the state, bundles of naira notes changed hands in full public view,” the party claimed, maintaining that it was a ‘brazen violation of the electoral act’.

It said that more troubling was the apparent silence, and in some cases, visible inaction of institutions mandated to enforce electoral integrity and protect the sanctity of the votes.

The party alleged that security operatives stood by as voters were harassed and compromised, adding that electoral officials, overwhelmed or indifferent, ignored the most basic standards of fairness.

ADC, however, reaffirmed its commitment to building a Nigeria where leadership was earned through integrity, inclusion and service, not through financial inducements. (NAN)