The Centre for Democracy and Development West Africa (CDD-West Africa), through its Election Analysis Centre (CDD-EAC), has accused both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of engaging in vote buying during the Saturday’s off-cycle governorship election in Ondo State.
According to the CDD, the parties allegedly purchased votes from the electorate for amounts as low as N3,000 and N10,000, respectively.
In the preliminary statement on the 2024 Ondo State governorship election, which was presented by Ms. Oluseyi Awojulugbe, a member of the CDD-EAC, Prof. Victor Adetula, Lead of the CDD-EAC Observation Mission, and Dr. Dauda Garuba, Director of CDD-West Africa, revealed that the election was marred by multiple instances of vote buying.
“CDD-EAC notes a lot of instances of vote buying,” the report stated. In Okitipupa LGA, Ward 09, Unit 003 (Irowa, Ilutitun 3), voters were reportedly solicited for votes with the APC allegedly offering N10,000 per voter, while the PDP was said to be offering N3,000.
In Odigbo LGA, Ward 01, Unit 001 (Oja Baale, Agbabu), similar reports of vote buying emerged, with the APC allegedly offering N10,000 and the PDP N5,000 per voter.
The report further highlighted instances where party agents attempted to circumvent the physical distribution of cash by transferring money directly to voters. In Ese-Odo, Ward 07, Unit 013 (Tari Ama Zion Ugo Community, Arogbo Ward 2), the PDP was observed offering N3,000, while the APC was offering N5,000 to voters.
At another polling unit in Iba Akoko South East, Ward 5, PU 001, APC leaders were reportedly seen writing down the names of voters who supported their candidate and instructing them to gather at a specific location to receive their payment.
In Ward 005, PU 001, St Barnabas Primary School, Ifon, CDD-EAC observers noted a conflict involving police officers. According to the report, some policemen were upset after a party stalwart allegedly distributed N100,000 among ten officers, while only one member from another branch of the armed services received N15,000.
The CDD-EAC also mentioned that vote-buying behavior among party agents resulted in several disputes during the election. In Idanre LGA, Ward 06, PU 004 (Methodist High School), APC agents were accused of monitoring voters’ choices, which led to protests and was eventually curtailed after intervention from security officials.
However, the report acknowledged the timely arrival of electoral officials, with 99% of CDD-EAC observers confirming that INEC officials were present at their stations before 8:30am. Despite this, some polling units experienced rowdiness, particularly in Akungba Akoko, where youths disagreed with the initiative to allow elderly voters to cast their ballots first, leading to disruptions. The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) at Post Office Premises intervened to restore order.
On the issue of disinformation and information manipulation, the CDD-EAC reported that false narratives and claims were relatively low in the Ondo governorship election compared to the recent Edo State election.
“In the campaign period, and on Election Day, 13 claims have so far been reported and fact-checked by CDD War Room,” the report said. It further noted that only one claim made on Election Day was found to be true, while the remaining 12 were either false or misleading.
This represented a significant drop in disinformation compared to the 61 claims reported during the same period in the Edo election, marking a 79% decrease in fake news.
Despite the lower incidents of disinformation, the CDD-EAC concluded that the election was still marred by significant instances of vote buying and party agents’ unethical behavior.
