#OndoDecides2024: Yiaga Africa reports widespread vote buying other electoral infractions

Yiaga Africa, an election-focused civil society group, has listed some electoral infractions reported by observers deployed to monitor the ongoing Saturday’s Ondo State governorship election across the 18 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.

Presenting the organisation’s midday situational report on Saturday, the organisation’s Head of Deployment for the election, Ezenwa Nwagwu, listed the infractions to include vote buying, disruption of voting, and obstruction of observers.

Mr Nwagwu said its team of observers reported trading of votes by the APC party agent stationed at the Odulufe, Omoke, Odosika, Ogubgobe polling units in the Ile-Oluji II Ward of Ile-Oluji LGA.

“(The party agent) was observed offering cash inducements of N20,000 to voters in exchange for their vote for the party,” he said.

“Unfortunately, security agents did not intervene to stop this action. Voters at the Ogun/Saruku Area polling unit in Ilara Il ward, Ifedore LGA, revealed how they marked.”

He said the presiding officer and security personnel denied access to a Yiaga Africa observer deployed to the Igbelowowa Methodist Primary School polling unit in Idanre LGA.

“They claimed they had not been informed that observers should be allowed to observe the process,” he said.

He added that some frustrated voters were reported to have disrupted voting at the Leo Hospital polling unit in the Owode/Imuagun Ward of Akure South LGA due to the malfunctioning of the BVAS. He said voting continued after security operatives “quickly arrived to calm the situation.”

Also, speaking on Arise TV on Saturday, YAIGA Africa election programme officer, Paul James, said the party agents, especially those of APC, were seen handing out naira notes to sway voters’ choices in the poll.

Mr James urged security operatives to monitor vote-buying activities closely, as they significantly contribute to election corruption and political insecurity in the country.

YAIGA Africa said vote buying is a growing trend that is becoming a permanent feature of presidential, governorship, and local government elections in the country.

He also said, “We saw glimpses of vote buying in the buildup to the election, where politicians, in their usual theatrics, were giving voters between N2,000 and N5,000 at campaign rallies. There was also the normal distribution of food items.

“At some point in October, we observed politicians distributing fertilisers to farmers. It’s challenging to draw the line between palliatives and vote-buying, especially during the buildup to elections.

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“What we fear is that political public campaigns commenced late; most of the campaigns didn’t start until the middle of October. We were apprehensive that they may be saving up resources to buy votes on election day. We have called out to the anti-graft agencies and the Nigerian police to monitor the process and ensure that people involved in nefarious activities are apprehended and brought to book.

“We don’t want them to territorialise the conversation. We have seen instances when these things happen in public and security officers say they can’t do anything until INEC asks them to. We expect the officers to be professional in discharging their duties.”