The Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advocacy in Africa, YIAGA Africa, has accused the two major political parties in today’s governorship election in Edo State of involvement in vote buying.
Yiaga, in an interim report on the election, stated that agents from the APC and PDP were seen buying votes for N10,000 at various polling units.
“Instances were noted at Igueben Pri School and Enikaro Primary School, highlighting issues of election integrity,” it said.
The report also identified logistical challenges causing delays in accreditation and voting, with poor weather and inadequate transport for election officials cited as major factors.
While the election began peacefully, there were concerns about intimidation of INEC officials, missing results sheets, and disruptions from political thugs.
Yiaga employed its Process and Results Verification for Transparency (PRVT) methodology to observe the election and is set to monitor the results collation process. Preliminary findings showed that only 43% of polling units had INEC officials present by 7:30 a.m., with full voting only commencing by 9:30 a.m.
Despite adequate deployment of election materials, reports indicated significant incidents, including the malfunction of BVAS machines and the suspension of voting due to violence. Yiaga noted multiple instances of vote buying across several local government areas.
To address these issues, Yiaga made several recommendations:
- Extend voting hours from 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. to accommodate delayed voters.
- Ensure strict adherence to voter accreditation guidelines.
- Increase security presence in areas affected by delays to prevent manipulation.
- Promptly respond to voter intimidation reports and ensure transparency in results collation.
Yiaga emphasized the importance of a credible electoral process and urged voters to remain patient and exercise their rights. Updates on the election will continue as the results are processed.
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