By Nigerian Fact-checkers’ Coalition
By all accounts, vote buying was rife during the 2025 Anambra state governorship election held on Saturday.
Observers, journalists, and leading candidates in the election all complained about how blatantly agents of political parties induced voters with cash, sometimes in the presence of security agents.
It seemed those involved were unaware that giving or receiving money as an inducement to vote on Election Day could get them jailed for one year.
According to Section 127 of the Electoral Act 2022, anyone who pays money directly or indirectly to “corruptly influencing a person to vote or refrain from voting” at any time after the announcement of the date of an election, or ‘being a voter, corruptly accepts or takes money or any other inducement” commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N100,000 or imprisonment for a term of 12 months or both.
The Act also says that threatening voters or preventing a political aspirant from freely using the media, designated vehicles, mobilisation of political support and campaign at an election, attracts a fine of N1 million or imprisonment for a term of three years.
Here are other offences you could commit on Election Day:
• Voting or attempting to vote in a constituency where your name is not on the register of voters. Anyone who does that commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of N100,000 or imprisonment for a term of six months or both.
• Bringing to a polling unit a voter’s card that is not yours. The law says that any person who knowingly brings into a polling unit during an election a voter’s card issued to another person commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N100,000 or imprisonment for a term of six months or both.
• Inciting others to act in a disorderly manner. This offence attracts a maximum fine of N500,000 or imprisonment for a term of 12 months or both.
• Campaigning, canvassing or soliciting for votes less than 300 metres from a polling unit. The law prohibits the following within a distance of 300 metres of a polling unit on Election Day: canvassing for votes, soliciting for the vote of any voter, persuading any voter not to vote for any particular candidate, persuading any voter not to vote at the election, shouting slogans concerning the election, possessing any offensive weapon, dressing in way aimed at intimidating voters, displaying any notice, symbol, photograph or party card related to the election, using any vehicle bearing the colour or symbol of a political party by any means whatsoever, (i) loitering without lawful excuse after voting or after being refused to vote, or blaring siren. Doing any of these is an offence that attracts a fine of N100,000 or imprisonment for a term of six months.
• Snatching or destroying election material or devices. This is an offence that is punishable by imprisonment for a term of 24 months.
