The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has reported that propaganda and vote buying marred the 19 September governorship election in Edo State, south-south Nigeria.

In its preliminary report on the election, the civil society organisation (CSO) noted that politicians induced voters with items such as Ankara fabric, spaghetti, and cash ranging from N1,000 to N5,000.

Additionally, the CDD noted that another issue which stood out in the election was the attempt by politicians to shape narratives through the use of propaganda on social media.

‘CDD observers reported cases where tickets were also given in lieu of cash for voters to vote and then return to use the ticket for collection of the cash’, the report signed by the CDD Director, Idayat Hassan, read.

‘In several other cases, as reported by our observers, cash of between N1,000 and N5,000 was distributed to voters who agreed to cast their ballot for the party paying for the vote’.

It also noted, ‘CDD observers reported that law enforcement officials largely looked the other way while vote buying was going on. No efforts whatsoever were made to bring to book the perpetrators of these acts, which corrupt the electoral process.

‘Vote buying was widespread in this election. For instance, CDD observers reported seeing voters discreetly exchanging their voters cards with money from party agents at Polling Unit Eight, Ward Two of Okpon area of Ovia-Southwest, Benin.

‘It was a similar case in Etsako Central, Ward One, Unit five and six where voters sold their votes for N1,000.

‘The brazen manner with which votes were bought and sold in the open calls to question the relevance of the over 30,000 police officers deployed to enforce the law during the election.

‘CDD is concerned that despite expending time and resources to deploy thousands of law enforcement officials to the electoral space, the officers did nothing in the face of infractions such as vote buying’.

On adherence to the Covid-19 guidelines and protocols by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), CDD stated that the organisation’s observers reported a general non-compliance to key protocols for preventing further spread of the contagion.

‘The flouting of the rule of physical distancing was the order of the day; there was a complete inability of INEC to maintain her two-meter rules as written in her guidelines’, the report read.

Furthermore, the CSO reported that it was important to note that the late arrival of the INEC staff also contributed to the non-compliance with the Covid-19 protocol as officials of the commission, in an attempt to rush commencement, ‘forgo the processes’.

Source: CDD West Africa

Photo source: CDD West Africa