In order to sway the results of today’s governorship election in Osun, suspected PDP agents have been seen handing out cash to voters in vote-buying.
[keypoints]
- Voters have reportedly spotted alleged PDP agents handing out cash
- the agents were spotted asking the voters to display their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs)
- After receiving the money, many of the voters were spotted entering a building in large groups
- INEC and law enforcement officials have issued warnings against vote-buying
[/keypoints]
At Polling Units 05, Ward 05, and Salvation Army Grammar School, the agents were spotted exchanging cash. Voters showed up in great numbers, especially women, at the polling place in the centre of the capital city of Osogbo.
Reporters for the Peoples Gazette saw that the agents, who are also party leaders, gathered close to the voters. Our reporters were not told who they were, but locals nearby claimed to have recognized them as PDP local enforcers.
Before guiding the voters to a secret building for the vote-buying transactions, the agents were spotted asking the voters to display their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs).
According to a female voter who asked that her name not be used, she received N4,000 after casting her ballot for the main opposition party.
[quotation name=’Source: female voter’]“I have voted, and the man (party agent) gave N4,000.” As she left the building, she told The Gazette, “I had to search through the ballot paper to locate and thumbprint the PDP logo.”[/quotation]
After receiving the money, many of the voters were spotted entering the building in large groups and talking about the distribution formula.
The vote-buying scheme did not just apply to the PDP. Additionally, after trading their franchise, voters told The Gazette that they anticipated receiving monetary bribes from the ruling All Progressives Congress in exchange for their votes.
According to privacy laws, The Gazette has hidden the voter’s identity. The voter said that he had previously written down his name in a list being produced by an APC agent.
He stated, “APC is yet to distribute money, but I have written down my names in the book with the agent.” At the polling places, it was noted that there was a considerable presence of security officers.
Even though the INEC, Nigeria’s electoral body, and law enforcement officials have issued warnings against vote-buying, observers anticipate that the scam will continue to cast doubt on the legitimacy of Nigerian elections. The complicated judicial system for sentencing offenders has prevented prosecution in a number of cases of vote-buying.
