By Julius Peter
The European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria Election Observation Hub (EU-SDGN EOH) has reported cases of vote trading, thuggery, voter intimidation and other electoral irregularities in the ongoing Osun State governorship election.
The Hub, which deployed 823 accredited observers across the state’s 30 local government areas, said its preliminary assessment as of 12 noon showed that the election had been largely peaceful and orderly in many polling units, despite incidents of electoral malpractice and security concerns.
In its Preliminary Election Day Statement issued at 2pm on Saturday, the EU-SDGN EOH said it was monitoring the election through a combination of stationary and roving observers, with particular attention to election integrity, security, inclusion, gender participation, misinformation, media access and the validation of election results.
The observation group comprises the Centre for Media and Society (CEMESO), International Press Centre (IPC), Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF), TAF Africa, The Kukah Centre (TKC) and Yiaga Africa.
The Hub said the statement was not its final assessment of the election, noting that a comprehensive post-election report would be issued after the conclusion of voting, collation and declaration of result According to the observers, the Osun governorship election is being conducted in 3,763 polling units across the state and is being contested by 15 candidates sponsored by 15 political parties.
The state has 2,339,233 registered voters, out of which 1,906,390, representing 81.50 per cent, collected their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) and are eligible to vote.
The EU-SDGN EOH said that of the 823 polling units where its observers were deployed, polling officials with complete sensitive and non-sensitive election materials were present in 726 units.
It said 608 polling units, representing 83.7 per cent of those observed, had polling officials and the required materials, including ballot papers, result sheets, Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) devices, voting cubicles, voters’ registers, official stamps and ink pads, between 7:30am and 8:00am.
Another 75 polling units, representing 10.3 per cent, received officials between 8:00am and 8:30am, while officials arrived at 42 polling units, representing 5.7 per cent, between 8:30am and 11:00am.
One polling unit was yet to open as of 11:00am due to the non-arrival of election personnel and materials.
The observers also reported some challenges with the BVAS technology deployed for voter accreditation.
The Hub said 58 BVAS devices, representing 7.9 per cent of the 726 polling units observed with complete election materials, malfunctioned.
However, it noted that 41 of the affected devices, representing 70.7 per cent, were subsequently rectified, allowing accreditation to resume in the affected polling units.
The observers described voter turnout as impressive, adding that voting was generally peaceful and orderly in most of the polling units monitored.
They attributed the relative orderliness to the deployment of crowd-control measures by election officials and security personnel.
On election security, the EU-SDGN EOH said an average of three security personnel were deployed to the polling units observed.
It said most security personnel conducted themselves professionally during the voting process, but reported cases of alleged voter intimidation by security agents at some locations.
The affected locations included Polling Unit 29-10-10-005 at Igbon D.C. School in Ejigbo, Polling Unit 29-26-01-002 and Polling Unit 29-30-06-015 at an open space opposite No. 22, Oke Ola Street, Okanla Area, Osogbo.
The observers urged security agencies to maintain professionalism, neutrality and restraint throughout the remaining stages of the electoral process, particularly during counting and collation.
The Hub said that as of noon, its observers had recorded 38 security incidents.
It listed reported cases of thuggery, attacks on electoral officials and voter intimidation by security personnel among the incidents observed.
The statement specifically listed 25 reported cases of thuggery, 12 attacks on electoral officials and nine cases of voter intimidation by security personnel.
The observers called for heightened vigilance as the election moves into the counting and collation stages, particularly in areas considered to be at critical risk.
Beyond security incidents, the EU-SDGN EOH said its observers had recorded 323 cases of electoral offences and irregularities across the 726 polling units observed.
The reported irregularities included 103 cases of vote trading, 12 cases of multiple voting, 28 cases involving inducement of polling and security officials, 38 cases of campaigning at polling units, 14 cases of voter impersonation, seven cases of misconduct by election officials, 31 cases of obstruction of voters and 85 cases involving exposure of ballot papers.
The findings place vote trading among the most prominent electoral concerns identified by the observers.
The Hub consequently urged political parties, candidates, polling agents and voters to reject vote buying and other forms of inducement capable of undermining the credibility of the election.
The observers also reported encouraging participation by women and persons with disabilities (PwDs).
According to the statement, women accounted for about 59 per cent of voter turnout in the polling units observed, while more than 70 per cent of registered PwDs turned out to vote in the 12 designated PwD polling units monitored by the observers.
Women also constituted 36 per cent of polling officials and played significant roles as polling agents, according to the Hub.
The development, it said, demonstrated a considerable level of inclusion in the electoral process.
The EU-SDGN EOH further said the election environment remained generally conducive for journalists and accredited election observers.
It reported no major incident of denial or obstruction of access to polling units as of the time of its preliminary assessment.
However, the Hub’s fact-checking teams said they had identified and fact-checked about 11 false claims circulating during the election.
The claims reportedly included allegations concerning payment of INEC officials, arrests by the police and underage voting, among others.
The observers said the fact-checking outcomes were amplified to counter misinformation, while other claims relating to alleged shooting and disruption were also subjected to verification.
The EU-SDGN EOH called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to urgently deploy election personnel and materials to polling units that were yet to commence voting.
It also recommended that where voting had not commenced by noon, the commission should consider rescheduling the affected election in accordance with the applicable electoral framework.
The observers urged INEC to deploy the Rapid Technical Response (RATECH) and backup BVAS devices to polling units where accreditation machines failed to capture voters’ biometrics.
They further called on INEC to paste the relevant Form EC at each polling unit at the conclusion of voting and immediately upload the EC8A result form to the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal.
The commission was also advised to monitor priority voting arrangements and assistive devices for elderly, pregnant and PwD voters to ensure that such measures were available and properly implemented.
The Hub also urged INEC to strengthen monitoring mechanisms for rapid response to reported cases of arson, kidnapping or hijacking of election materials and personnel.
For security agencies, the observers recommended a visible but restrained presence at polling units and collation centres.
They urged security personnel to avoid any conduct that could create a perception of heavy-handedness or partisan involvement.
They also called for increased monitoring of areas classified as critical-risk zones, particularly during vote counting and collation, to prevent disruptions.
The Hub recommended that security agencies support plain-clothes officers from relevant anti-corruption agencies working at polling units to detect vote trading and ensure the safe escort of election personnel and materials from polling units to collation centres.
It further called for sustained collaboration among security and election-management agencies to ensure rapid, proportionate and transparent responses to emerging incidents.
Political parties and candidates were urged to instruct their agents and supporters to focus on lawful observation rather than intimidation, inducement or vote trading.
The Hub also advised candidates and parties to resolve electoral grievances through the appropriate tribunals and courts instead of resorting to protests, violence or other forms of self-help.
Media Warned Against UThe EU-SDGN EOH also urged the media to refrain from announcing unofficial or projected election results before the appropriate official declaration by INEC.
It advised journalists to intensify real-time fact-checking as the process progresses to counting and collation in order to counter misinformation and disinformation.
The media were further encouraged to promptly report any attack, harassment or denial of access through the appropriate dedicated channels and platforms.
The observers called on voters to exercise their franchise independently and reject any form of inducement or vote buying.
Voters were advised to report suspected vote buying to INEC officials, security personnel or accredited election observers at the polling units rather than remain silent.
The EU-SDGN EOH stressed that its preliminary statement should not be regarded as a final verdict on the Osun governorship election.
It said its final assessment would take into account the conclusion of voting, counting, collation and the official declaration of results.
The Hub said its post-election report would provide a broader assessment of the overall credibility, inclusiveness, transparency and integrity of the electoral process.
