YIAGA Africa Raises Alarm Over High Voter’s Inducement In Osun

YIAGA Africa Raises Alarm Over High Voter’s Inducement In Osun

YIAGA AFRICA # Watching The Vote (WTV) has raised alarm over the high level of voters’ inducement in Osun State ahead of the Saturday governorship election in the state, saying the highest bidder may end up winning the vote.

Speaking with journalists on pre-election observation of the observer group, Dr. Aisha Abdullahi expressed worry over the influx of top government functionaries from other states into Osun saying that government officials and political elites should be barred from moving with security personnel to and from polling booths, ostensibly to supervise or monitor elections.

Still on inducement, Abdullahi said the group observed noncompliance with the electoral legal framework through voter inducement, suspicious empowerment programmes, direct distribution of money, gift items as prevalent in 26 local governments of the state.

“As noted during the 2018 governorship election, the Osun governorship election may be decided by the highest bidder. This is based on prevalence of voter inducement that precedes election day voting.

Abdullahi who said her group supports the reorganization of polling booths by INEC in its bid to protect the secrecy of ballot added that the group is also in support of ban on the use of phones in the voting cubicles of voting booth.

She urged all stakeholders to maintain peace and decorum to ensure a successful governorship election come September 22, 2018.

In the face of growing rate of fake news and misinformation in the public space, Abdullahi urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to remain alert and counter fake news and misinformation in a timely and expeditious manner.

She reiterated the group’s call that security agents on election duty must uphold the principle of non-partisanship, transparency, civil policing and professionalism in the conduct of their affairs adding that they should respect the rights of citizens and observers.