By Nigerian Fact-checkers’ Coalition.
The Anambra State 2025 Governorship Election kicks off today as voters cast ballots to elect the next governor for the Southeastern Nigerian state.
Our team of journalists, researchers, fact-checkers, social media monitors, editors, and OSINT experts are on ground at the Nigerian Fact-checkers’ Coalition’s (NFC) Election Situation Rooms located in Lagos and Abuja, to debunk election-related misinformation and disinformation content targeted at causing voter apathy, inciting violence or influencing the outcome of gubernatorial poll.
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This page is constantly being updated with verified checks. Kindly scroll downward to read them.
CLAIM 1
CLAIM: Michael Chibuzo, in a Facebook group of over 85,000 members, claimed (archived) that two of Chukwuma Soludo’s Mayors were caught with N750 million cash each.
THE FINDINGS: In October 2024, Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo swore in 21 local government chairpersons referred to as mayors. The Nigerian Fact-Checkers’ Coalition found no reports confirming such an arrest, and the Anambra State Police Command said the claim is false. Police Spokesperson Tochukwu Ikenga informed the coalition that police patrol groups across the state had not reported such an incident.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCE: Nigeria Police Force
CLAIM 2
CLAIM: A Facebook user, Bube Africà, shared (archived) a video displaying bundles of cash, claiming in the caption that it was “election-sensitive materials” delivered for the Anambra election.
THE FINDINGS: A Google reverse image search reveals that the same video was posted on Instagram in April 2025, months before the Anambra election in November. The captions claim the bundles of cash are from Nigeria’s socialite, Obi Cubana’s birthday celebration. Also, using keyword search, we located the same video posted on Pulse Nigeria’s TikTok account. The video has been on the internet before the Anambra election.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCES: Google reverse image search, Pulse Nigeria
CLAIM 3
CLAIM: An X user @Ojay147_ posted a picture of a man who sustained an injury on his head with the hashtag #anambradecides2025.
THE FINDINGS: An image search shows the image has been online since 2018. A TV report from Igbere TV News on June 24, 2018, shows that the picture was taken during a violent clash among members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the Dunukofia Local Government Area, Anambra State. The party’s deputy chairperson, Emma Otika, reportedly sustained a head injury during the attack when party executives from Dunukofia staged a protest at APGA’s state secretariat and the state House of Assembly in Awka.
VERDICT: MISLEADING
SOURCES: Igbere TV News, Facebook
CLAIM 4
CLAIM: An X user @starvillageboy (archived link) claimed that the People’s Democratic Party(PDP) did not field any candidate in the Anambra gubernatorial election.
THE FINDINGS: The final report from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officially lists PDP candidate Jude Ezewanfor in the Anambra governorship race. He has also appeared in multiple media interviews, sharing his plans for the state if elected.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCES: INEC, TVC News
CLAIM 5
CLAIM: X user, @Esteembehemoth, congratulates (archived) Governor Charles Soludo as the winner in the ongoing Anambra elections.
FINDINGS: As of 12:30 p.m. on November 8, voting is ongoing in all polling units in Anambra State. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to declare a winner for the governorship election.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCE: INEC
CLAIM 6
CLAIM: A Facebook user, Ogechukwu Akwaeze, claimed that the local government chairperson of Anambra East, Ifeanyi Chinweze, visited Community Development Primary School, Umueri Ward 2, Unit 003, accompanied by armed men to disrupt the election and intimidate voters.
THE FINDINGS: CJID observer Grace Nnoruka informed NFC that the LGA chairperson visited some polling units in the area. She also confirmed the presence of police vans in the polling unit but noted there was no form of intimidation. The observer stated that the LG chairperson and the police arrived at different times but departed almost simultaneously. Images from Arise TV confirm the peaceful conduct of the election at the polling unit.
VERDICT: MISLEADING
SOURCES: NFC observer, Arise TV.
CLAIM 7
CLAIM: A TikTok user, Nigeria Undivided shared a video showing a group of women being helped to thumbprint on a ballot paper, claiming it was recorded in Anambra on November 8.
THE FINDINGS: A key frame analysis of the video revealed that it was originally shared on X in 2023 by user @ThatVyktur, who alleged election rigging in the Southeast during the general election. The video is therefore not recent.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCE: X (formerly Twitter)
CLAIM: 8
CLAIM: An X user, @Tkoy2025, claimed (archived) that there is massive vote-buying ongoing in Anambra State by APGA and APC.
THE FINDINGS: Two journalists covering the election, Chingorom Ugwu of PREMIUM TIMES and Mustapha Usman of the ICIR, confirmed witnessing vote-buying in multiple locations. Also, PREMIUM TIMES’ early report indicates that vote-buying is rampant.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: Premium Times, Journalists
CLAIM 9
CLAIM: An X user, @globaltrendsX, alleged that a BVAS malfunction caused delays in voting at Polling Unit 001, Fegge Ward 5, Onitsha, during the Anambra governorship election.
THE FINDINGS: Channels TV reported that voting had yet to begin at Polling unit 001, Fegge Ward 5, St. John Primary school, as of 9:55 a.m., due to persistent BVAS malfunctions that hindered accreditation and voting. Similarly, Sahara Reporters reported that by 10:01 a.m., the voting process had not yet commenced.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCES: Channels TV and Sahara Reporters
CLAIM 10
CLAIM: An X user claimed that Ezechukwu Nweke, Action Alliance (AA) gubernatorial candidate, is currently leading the polls by a wide margin.
THE FINDINGS: As of 2:37 pm, field observers from the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) reported that election results had not yet been sorted or collated. Vote sorting across all polling units began at 2.30pm, making it impossible to verify which candidate was leading at the time the claim was made.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCES: CJID field observers
CLAIM 11
CLAIM: An X user claims Peter Obi was spotted sharing money.
THE FINDINGS: A Google Reverse image search reveals that the picture attached to the claim has been online since December 2022. Additionally, NFC compared the photo in the images with the one shared by a field observer with the Centre for Journalism, Innovation and Development (CJID), as well as news platforms, and observed a total difference in the clothes he wore during the ongoing election.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCES: Google Reverse Image, CJID field observer, Punch and The Nation.
CLAIM 12
CLAIM: A Facebook user claims that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not on the ballot in the Anambra state governorship election.
THE FINDINGS: The bio data of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Jude Ezenwafor, is on the list of candidates in the Anambra governorship election. Also, the Form EC 8A uploaded on the IRev portal from thousands of polling units in the state includes the PDP.
VERDICT: INCORRECT
SOURCES: INEC website, INEC iRev
CLAIM 13
CLAIM: An X user claimed that voters are being swayed with Gala and Malt at the ongoing Anambra guber poll.
THE FINDINGS: The NFC used various techniques and tools to trace the video’s origin, but found no leads. While vote-buying has been confirmed during the ongoing election, the video’s poor quality casts doubt on whether it is related to the gubernatorial poll.
VERDICT: UNPROVEN
SOURCES: Field observers/Election monitors
CLAIM 14
CLAIM: An X user claimed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Nicholas Ukachukwu, defeated the Labour Party with 73 votes to 57 votes at Peter Obi’s polling unit.
THE FINDINGS: Data from the INEC IReV portal revealed that the APC garnered 73 votes from the 173 valid ballots in Polling unit 019, Umudim Akasi Square, Agulu II Ward, Anaocha Local Government. By contrast, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) recorded 38 votes, while the Labour Party gained 57 votes.
VERDICT: CORRECT
SOURCE: INEC IReV
CLAIM 15
*This fact-check report was jointly researched and written by members of the Nigerian Fact-Checkers’ Coalition (NFC).
