Ekiti 2022: Voter Inducement Has Taken Over Political Campaigns, Observer Group Laments
- Ahead of the 2022 Ekiti governorship election slated for Saturday, June 18, electoral observers have predicted an election that will lack credibility
- Election observation group, Justice, Development and Peace Makers Centre (JDPMC) says the build-up to the polls has been distorted with vote-buying
- The observation group in its latest report revealed that candidates of political parties have spent more on voter inducement than they have spent on actual campaign
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Ekiti, Ado-Ekiti - With less than 24 hours to the much anticipated gubernatorial election in Ekiti state, concerns have been raised concerning the credibility of the election following the high rate of voter inducement.
Election observation group, Justice, Development and Peace Makers Centre (JDPMC) in its latest pre-election report made available to Legit.ng on Friday, June 17 said the growing rate of voter inducement might affect the credibility of Ekiti governorship polls.
Source: UGC
As contained in the report, the group said there has been a significant decline in the capacity of many electoral malpractices to undermine the credibility of elections.
Contrastingly, the group said the only hindrance to a credible election in Ekiti is the growing rate of voter inducement.
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The report said:
"Inducement of voters has not only remained resistant to transformative initiatives so far, but the rate of its growth has also assumed a scandalous and unacceptable dimension between the last four years when Ekiti held its last governorship election in 2018 and the present.
"The trend of voter inducements in Ekiti State political campaign is observed to have logically connected Ekiti to the trajectory of the reckless fast-growing trend of political campaign in which voter inducement is assuming prominence compared to established campaign activities."
Vote-buying funds supersedes campaign funds - JDPMC reveals
According to the statement, the group disclosed that campaign activities over the last 30 days declined drastically due to the escalating level of voter inducement that has replaced the traditional pattern of campaign/rally.
Similarly, findings from the report revealed that the amount spent of voter inducement has risen way beyond what is spent for campaigns between 2018 to 2022.
In the report, the group made a comparative reference to the 2020 gubernatorial election in Ondo state revealing that voter inducement was rampant prior to the election.
It was gathered that that the amount spent by the winner of the election on vote buying on election day alone was almost double the total amount spent in the 90 days campaign activities tracked by the deployed observers of JDPMC.
Ekiti 2022: INEC completes preparation as voter inducement persists
Similarly, another election observation group, Yiaga Africa has released its latest pre-election report ahead of the 2022 Ekiti gubernatorial election.
In the report, Yiaga Africa certified that the independent electoral commission (INEC) completed all its preparatory activities for the forthcoming election.
However, Yiaga Africa in its findings says there were reported cases of gun violence during election campaign in some local government in Ekiti.
2023 election: Allegations of extortion in CVR Centers by INEC officials emerge
In another development, Yiaga Africa calls on the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to extend the CVR exercise by three weeks.
It also called for investigation of allegations of bribery and non-deployment of personnel in some Registration Centers.
The election observation group commended INEC for deploying additional 209 machines to Kano, Lagos, and five states in the Southeast.
Source: Legit.ng
