REPORTS of vote-buying have emerged from multiple polling units across Osun State as accreditation and voting continued in the state governorship election.
Party agents were allegedly distributing cash to influence voters.
Prior to the commencement of polls, videos circulating on social media showed food items, including rice, money and other items being distributed to the state residents.
The CJID reporter in the state observed that at Polling Unit 004, Customary Court, Ode-Oba, Isale Oba 2 Ward 02 in Iwo Local Government Area, a member of one of the major political parties was caught inside a nearby mosque distributing ₦15,000 to voters in exchange for their support.
At another centre, Polling Unit 007, Ode Awudere Junction, Isale Oba 1 Ward 01 in Iwo LGA, a voter disclosed to CJID of receiving offers from multiple political representatives, noting that while the Accord Party offered ₦15,000, representatives from the All Progressives Congress (APC) offered ₦20,000. Another resident at the polling unit claimed that cash disbursements had begun the previous day.
In Atakunmosa West LGA, similar activities were reported at Polling Unit 001, Methodist Primary School, Oke Omi Osu. A video captured by CJID showed an APC agent addressing voters and directing them where to collect financial promises after casting their ballots.
The exercise holds across the state’s 30 local government areas, 332 registration areas and 3,763 polling units, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) listing 2,339,233 registered voters for the poll and deploying 5,130 Bimodal Voter Accreditation System devices.
The election is the second off-cycle governorship poll in the South-West this year after Ekiti’s which took place on June 18.
Across several parts of Osun, voters arrived early at polling units, with some residents reaching voting centres before electoral officials.
Voters were seen as early as 6:45 a.m. in parts of Ilesa East, Ilesa West, Ede North, Boripe and Osogbo. In some locations, however, voters were still waiting for officials and materials before accreditation could begin.
Zainab Abdulrasaq ia a reporter and a fact-checker with The ICIR. She believes that accountable citizenship starts with an accountable government, which is why she highlights injustice and everyday struggles through her reporting, one story at a time. She adores reading and can be reached via zabdulrasaq@icirnigeria.org and @blackbookishgirl on Instagram/Medium