Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and
Advancement (YIAGA) Africa on Thursday said Ekiti
governorship election may be determined by highest
bidder due to prevalence of vote-buying.
Executive Director of the group, Mr Samson Itodo,
said this in a presentation on the pre-observation of
the election made available to newsmen in Abuja.
Itodo said that YIAGA Africa deployed 500 observers
in its “Watching the Vote (WTV)” project to monitor
statistical sample of 250 polling units located in all
the 16 local government areas of the state.
He said that YIAGA AFRICA was worried about the
level of voter-inducement in the state by politicians
and their supporters.
“Cash and material inducements such as free
Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) or fuel for petrol
engines are doled out to voters in exchanges for
their votes.
“This ugly trend of voter inducement or vote-buying
undermines the political legitimacy and makes a
mockery of our democracy.
“We are concerned that this election may be
determined by the highest bidder if the
National Electoral Commission does not take
intentional steps to protect the secrecy of the
ballot.‘’
Itodo said that 29 per cent of the observers reported
seeing the distribution of money or gift items by
candidates in Ekiti East, Ekiti West, Gbonyin, Ido/
Osi, Ijero, Ilejemeje and Irepodun/Ifelodun Local
Government Areas.
He said that 50 per cent of the observers also heard
additional reports of such acts taking place in Ado-
Ekiti, Efon, Ekiti South-West, Emure, Ikole and Oye.
He advised voters to resist any attempt by
politicians to subvert the process through material
inducement or cash, and urged them to cast their
votes according to their preferences.
He also said that the group observed that hate
speech and inciting statements by key political
actors in the state, especially the dominant political
parties, was on an increasing level in the state.
Itodo said that unguarded statements could lead to
a breach of peace in the state.
He advised key contenders in the governorship to desist from making inciting statements and urge
their supporters to refrain from any act that could
potentially result in electoral violence.
He also urged the security agencies to sanction any
individual or group propagating hate speech in the
run-up to the election.
Itodo said that YIAGA AFfrica’s WTV was also
concerned about issues capable of undermining the
credibility of the election, if not addressed.
He said that judging from history, YIAGA Africa
was concerned that polling officials would not
adhere to INEC directive or comply with the
guideline.
He insisted that pasting results of the election at the
polling units would enhance the integrity of the
elections.
The director of the group advised that Supervising
Polling Officers (SPOs) and INEC monitors should
ensure that Presiding Officers posted the polling unit
results at the polling units using FORM EC 60 E,
summary of results.
He said that INEC should also endeavour that all
polling staff who flouted the directive were duly
sanctioned.
Itodo said that the WTV Project would closely
observe the newly-piloted e-collation process, and
urged INEC to ensure transparency and openness in
the result collation and transmission process.
He also encouraged voters to take pictures of the
results posted at the polling unit using the FORM EC
60 E, adding that collation centres were accessible to
accredited observers, party agents and media.
Itodo said that experience had shown that duly
accredited observers and journalists were
sometimes denied access to collation centres at the
ward and local government level by security
agencies.
He appealed to INEC and the security agencies to
ensure that accredited party agents and observers
were granted access to collation centres as their
presence would enhance the integrity of the process.
