Edo voters were wowed with Gala, bread at polling units: CSOs

The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (NCSSR), a coalition of civil society organizations, has expressed deep concerns over the widespread voter inducement during the Edo State gubernatorial election held on Saturday.

The group reported that voters were enticed with money ranging from ₦5,000 to ₦10,000 per person, along with snacks and food items such as bread and ‘Gala.’

In a detailed report co-signed by representatives Yunusa Z. Ya’u, Mimidoo Achakpa, and Franklin Oloniju, the NCSSR highlighted several locations where vote-buying was rampant, including polling units in Owan-East, Etsako-West, Egor, Oredo, and Owan-West LGAs.

The report also noted that electoral officials were not consistently punctual, with only about 50% of officials arriving at polling units by the scheduled time of 8:30 a.m.

Despite this, there were some instances of early arrivals, such as at Maria Goretti Girls Secondary School in Ward 6, Ikpoba Okha LGA, and in Esan-West LGA.

“However, in many other locations, poll officials and materials had not arrived as at 9:00 a.m. For example, polling units 7 and 8 Eweka Secondary School, Ward 10, and Egor LGA were among those affected.

“Furthermore, at the Super Registration Area Centre (Super RAC) in Ogbe Primary School, Oredo LGA, poll officials and materials had not left the Super RAC as at 9:00 a.m. as observers reported that many ad-hoc staff refused to sleep over at the RAC due to fears of possible attacks.

“We note that some polling units in locations such as Egor, Oredo, Ikpoba Okha, Etsako-West, Owan-West, and Esan Central LGAs experienced widespread delays due to the heavy rainfall in these locations,” the group stated.

It saluted the security agencies for being professional at the polling units, with no reports of intimidation of voters.

The group added, “However, despite their presence, our observers noted widespread instances of vote buying, carried out openly in many voting locations.”

“We, however, acknowledge the arrest of the alleged two vote traders in George Idah primary school, Ward 2, Oredo LGA.”

It also observed that party agents were not evenly distributed during the election, stressing that the APC has 41 per cent in distribution; the Labour Party,13 per cent; PDP, 25 per cent, while the PRP recorded five per cent and other parties recorded less than two per cent.

The group condemned the spread of fake news, which, according to its report, contributed to confusion among voters and heightened tension at several polling locations.