The Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA), has expressed concerns over widespread cases of vote-buying during the Ondo State governorship election which held over the weekend.
The centre regretted the brazen manner in which votes were being bought by political parties during the polls.
In a preliminary statement on the observation of the polls, which was signed by Faith Nwadishi, Executive Director, CTA, the centre
It condemned cases of overzealousness by security operatives who intimidated and harassed election observers and the electorate during the election.
The Centre expressed concerns over the deployment of armed forces during elections in Nigeria.
“Security agents were generally civil in the their conducts except in few cases as was witnessed at the Edo Lodge (Ward 4 Unit 11, Akure South LG) where DSS officials harassed, seized and deleted pictures and videos from the phones of Election Observers.
“Regrettably, our observers reported that vote buying is becoming more brazen and was a major feature of this election. INEC, the Security Agencies and other stakeholders need to work out measures to effectively address this ugly phenomenon,” the statement read.
