The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (NCSSR) has confirmed significant incidents of vote-buying during the ongoing Edo State governorship election.
This report comes despite the presence of numerous security personnel at polling units across the state.
In their interim report, NCSSR noted that votes were being sold for prices ranging from N5,000 to N10,000.
Polling units in various local government areas, including Owan-East, Etsako-West, Egor, Oredo, and Owan-West, were identified as hotspots for these transactions.
“We observed voters being offered cash and food items like bread and ‘Gala’ in exchange for their votes,” said Yunusa Z. Ya’u, one of the report’s authors.
The report highlights the tense atmosphere surrounding the election. Pre-election tension and the spread of fake news have contributed to increased anxiety among voters.
“Fake news has created confusion, making voters uncertain and fearful,” said a representative from the Centre for Democracy and Development, a member organization of NCSSR.
The report also criticized the arrival times of electoral officials. Only about 50% of officials made it to polling units on time, which disrupted the voting process.
Polling units such as those at Eweka Secondary School and Ogbe Primary School faced significant delays.
“Some officials arrived as early as 7:00 AM, but many others were still missing as late as 9:00 AM,” the report indicated.
Weather conditions also played a role, as heavy rainfall affected several locations.
Security presence was noted at 92% of polling units, with officers behaving professionally and without intimidation.
However, the NCSSR emphasized that security measures did not prevent open vote-buying.
“Despite the heavy security, we saw widespread instances of vote-buying in plain sight,” said Mimidoo Achakpa, another co-author of the report.
The report did acknowledge some progress in the election process. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) was reported to be functioning well in 98% of the polling units.
However, isolated cases of device failure were noted, especially in Esan-West LGA.
The average time for voter accreditation was about one minute per person, with facial recognition performing better than thumbprint verification.
Regarding party representation at polling units, the report found an uneven distribution. The All Progressives Congress (APC) had 41% of party agents, while the Labour Party had 13%, and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had 25%.
“Party agents have generally behaved well, but many polling units had no agents at all,” the report explained.
The Situation Room concluded by commending the peaceful conduct of voters, urging them to remain calm as the election continues.
“We call on all stakeholders, including INEC and security agencies, to ensure the integrity of the election process,” said Franklin Oloniju, the third co-author.
The NCSSR will continue monitoring the situation and plans to release a comprehensive report once the election concludes.
The high levels of vote-buying raise serious concerns about the electoral process in Edo State.
Many citizens are now questioning the effectiveness of security measures in curbing electoral malpractice.
As the election unfolds, the focus remains on ensuring that the will of the people is respected and that democracy is upheld in Nigeria.
“We need to ensure that voters can make their choices freely, without fear or coercion,” added Achakpa.
