#OndoDecides2024: Election result reflects ballot cast – Yiaga Africa

A civil society organisation, Yiaga Africa, said on Sunday that the result of the just-concluded governorship elections in Ondo State reflects the will of the people.

The head of the organisation’s election mission, Ezenwa Nwagwu, said both political parties and residents of Ondo State should have confidence in the announced result.

Speaking at a press conference in Akure, Mr Nwagwu commended the Ondo people for their peaceful conduct throughout the election period.

“Based on reports from 286 of 300 (95%) sampled polling units, Yiaga Africa’s statistical analysis shows that the All Progressives Congress (APC) should receive between 72.1% and 75.7% of the vote, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), 22.0% and 25.4%, and no other political party should receive more than 3.7% of the vote,” he said.

He commended the election commission, INEC, on the improved deployment of officials and voting materials in the election and the security agencies for their professionalism.

He said Yiaga observers reported calm and orderly elections across different polling units.

Voter turnout

Reeling out figures from the Watching the Vote Project, a data-focused analysis of Yiaga Africa’s election data, Mr Nwagwu placed voter turnout between 24 and 27 per cent.

“INEC’s turnout and rejected ballots for the 18 LGA released are consistent with Yiaga Africa WTV PRVT estimates. Yiaga Africa can estimate that turnout is between 24.8% and 27.6% (26.3% ±1.3%), while INEC’s official result is 24.8%.

“Similarly, both Yiaga Africa’s estimate and the official results for rejected ballots is approximately 2%,” he said.

“Counting was done in the exact location of accreditation and voting in all of the observed polling units.”

He said the All Progressives Congress (APC) agents were present during counting and received the results sheets in 97 per cent of the polling units, and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) agents were present during counting and received the results sheets in 96 per cent of the polling units.

Mr Nwagwu said voting commenced at 8:30 a.m. in 41 per cent of observed polling units and the figure rose to 91 per cent by 9:30 a.m.

He added that election materials had arrived at polling units by 7:30 a.m. in 69 per cent of the polling units.

He also said the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) functioned properly in 81 per cent of the observed polling units.

Vote buying, partisan officials

The organisation, however, observed widespread vote buying, noting that it erodes the quality of the election.

“We condemn the observed incidents of vote-buying, which characterised the election as a major threat to the credibility of the electoral process. This practice promotes electoral corruption, erodes equality in election competition and undermines the legitimacy of electoral victory.

READ ALSO: Tinubu congratulates Gov Lucky Aiyedatiwa on election victory

“Yiaga Africa calls on political parties to refrain from the culture of commercialisation of elections in Nigeria and invest rather in practices that enhance trust in the elections,” he said.

Mr Nwagwu added that party agents attempted to influence polling officials during counting at 11 per cent of the polling units.