Ondo gov poll: Voters rejected inducement, says CDD in preliminary report

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) says its officials observed that voters rejected inducement to sell their votes during the Ondo governorship election.

The centre disclosed this in its  preliminary report presented by Idayat Hassan, its director in Akure, the state capital.

It said the voters resisted attempts by political actors to induce them to sell their votes.

“CDD observers documented instances in which voters revolted against political actors trying to induce them to sell their vote,” the report read.

“This was documented in Idanre (Ward 3, PU 6; Ward 8, PU 1,2 and 3; and Ward 5 PU 1). In all those cases, voters insisted they wished to vote for person of their choice; there was a debate, and some were of the opinion that the money should be collected while the voters should vote their conscience.

“In the end majority of voters rejected money and chased the voter buyers away from the Polling Unit. All these, CDD observers reported, happened in the presence of security personnel.”

The group added that however, party agents devised several means to induce voters.

It said it observed that the party agents “largely stayed away from coordinating vote buying”.

“CDD observed that political parties designated someone, who is not a party agent, but appears to be neutral to direct voters to an outpost where cash could be distributed,” it said.

“Notwithstanding these few exemplary cases where citizens pushed back against vote buying, CDD lamented that political actors still devised structured ways to engage in vote buying.

“We observed a consistent pattern of vote buying, wherein those engaged in this electoral offence adopted tactics to induce voters, while evading the watch of security officials and election observers.

“CDD observers documented attempts by political actors to outspend one another by making available large sums disbursed to community leaders for onward distribution to voters.”

The CDD said despite the challenges, it observed a number of laudable developments.

It said it noted the timely arrival of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) staff to polling units across the state.

The group however said the positive effect the early arrival would have had on the process was affected by the morning rains, which disrupted voting.

“Our observation of the effectiveness of logistics deployment for the election indicated a general trend of timeliness in the arrival of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),” it said.

“CDD commends INEC for going the whole hog to ensure materials arrived early at most of the polling units. In general INEC officials and security agents arrived most of the Polling Unit across between the hour of 7am and 8am.”

It also said towards the end of voting there was an upsurge in attacks targeted at INEC officials.

“As the time of reporting CDD has been receiving reports of attacks targeted at INEC staff and personnel. In Akure South LGA, CDD observers reported cases of hoodlums chasing away Registration Area Centres technicians. If RAC techs are chased out of the polling units and prevented form carrying out their duties, it compromises the transparency of the process because the upload of results unto the INEC Results Viewing Platform, “it added.