Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria – Fresh concerns have emerged over the credibility of the Ekiti State governorship election following revelations by election observers that politicians may have adopted more sophisticated methods of voter inducement.
Speaking during an interview on Arise TV’s News Night, Asabe Ndahi, Project Manager of the European Union-supported National Kukah Centre election observation mission, disclosed that observers documented 64 cases of vote buying during Saturday’s poll.
Importantly, Ndahi did not mention or accuse any political party of involvement in the alleged incidents.
According to her, what observers witnessed suggests a shift from the more visible and traditional methods of voter inducement, where food items, cash, rice, noodles and other materials were openly distributed around polling areas.
Instead, she said some politicians appeared to have developed more discreet mechanisms to identify and reward voters after ballots had been cast.
Ndahi explained that in some locations, ballot boxes were allegedly positioned in ways that enabled party agents to monitor voting patterns, while certain voters were reportedly given markers or signs after voting.
The markers, she said, were allegedly used as identification tools to direct beneficiaries to locations where inducements would later be distributed away from public scrutiny.
The observer noted that while security personnel generally maintained peace and order throughout the exercise, the deployment of military patrol teams in some areas appeared excessive and could have created an atmosphere of intimidation for voters.
“Security was okay, but there was an overwhelming military presence in some places. The patrol teams looked intimidating to voters,” she observed.
Ndahi also raised concerns over the low voter turnout recorded in many polling units despite a noticeable participation by women.
While acknowledging the relatively higher turnout among female voters, she questioned whether their participation was driven primarily by democratic engagement or by expectations of benefits linked to the alleged inducement schemes.
“There was turnout. More women came out, but the question is whether they actually came out to vote or because of the largesse that was expected to be shared,” she said.
Her comments are likely to intensify discussions about the growing sophistication of vote-buying practices in Nigeria’s elections and the challenges facing efforts to safeguard the secrecy and integrity of the ballot.
As result collation continues, election stakeholders are expected to scrutinize the observations closely, especially given the widespread view that the Ekiti governorship election could serve as an important indicator of the strengths and weaknesses of Nigeria’s electoral process ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had not officially responded to the observer’s remarks as of the time of filing this report.
This report is based on statements made by election observer Asabe Ndahi during a live television interview on Arise TV.
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