YIAGA Africa Wants INEC to Audit Newly Created Polling Stations

Chuks Okocha in Abuja and Yinka Kolawole in Osogbo

YIAGA Africa, a pro election coalition group that monitored last Osun State governorship election has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to audit the newly created polling stations across the country for the purposes of ensuring equitable distribution of voters during election.

In a report by the YIAGA chair, Hussein Abdu and Executive Director Samson Itodo made available said: “YIAGA Africa calls on INEC to audit the newly created polling units and ensure equitable distribution of voters to the polling units. In cases where voters have been allotted to new polling units, INEC should update the voter records on its website and communicate the changes to prevent voter disenfranchisement,” the group stated.

YIAGA Africa also commended the people of Osun for their resilience and commitment to a non-violent election.

 They said:  “We encourage the voters to sustain their participation in the electoral process beyond the elections by holding political parties and candidates accountable for their campaign promises. YIAGA Africa would like to thank the many Nigerians across the state who volunteered to serve as non-partisan WTV citizen observers on behalf of all the people of Osun. “

“YIAGA Africa commends the dedication of the permanent INEC staff in Abuja and Osun state who organized the election and the commitment of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members who served as poll officials.  YIAGA Africa would like to thank other sister election observer groups and the international community for their solidarity and support.”

According to  YIAGA Africa, it  received reports of acts of vote buying perpetrated by agents of the APC and PDP in some polling units.

For instance, it said: “ PU 009, Akinlalu Commercial Grammar School, Ward 01 in Ife North. The party agents strategically positioned themselves by the voting cubicle to see how voters marked their ballots.”

“In PU 003 Opp. At Olomu Mosque in Osogbo, PDP  agents were seen handing out between N2000 and N5000 to induce voters. Also, in Disu Polling Unit 003, ward 7 in Orolu LGA, APC agents were seen distributing N4000 to voters who voted for the party while PDP party agents were seen distributing N2000 to induce voters.”YIAGA Africa said

The report said that the  secrecy  of the Ballots compromised in places  in Ward 11, Unit 3, Palace Town Hall (old post office Iree) in Boripe.

“YIAGA Africa observed voters showing how they mark their ballot papers to APC party agents before dropping them in the ballot box,”, the report stated.

The group  said: “BVAS malfunctioned: In Ife North LGA, PU 001 at St. Raphael Primary School Toro, the BVAS malfunctioned at about 11 am. A request was made for a replacement which came at 3:30pm.”

Also, the YIAGA Africa said: “Voter Intimidation: At Open Space-Under Tree, Ojude Oke, PU 010,  Iragbiji Ward 4, Boripe LGA, Thugs associated with the APC threatened to stab any voter who did not vote for the APC. The voters however insisted on casting their votes for the candidate of their choice.

“YIAGA Africa also received a report from Ogbagba Village, Ward 11, Pu 013 of a thug/cultist affiliated with the PDP coming to disrupt the process. Also, in Alagbede Comp. beside Baptist Pry. School, Ward 05, Unit 007, part agents from APC & PDP were seen intimidating the elderly who were at the polling units to cast their vote”

The Yiaga Africa report said: “At Afaake Town Hall. PU 003 during voting an APC party agent was seen close to the ballot box folding the ballot papers of some voters after they were done thumb printing their choice.

YIAGA Africa’s preliminary estimates indicated that turnout for the Osun gubernatorial election will be between 40 per cent and 43 per cent based on official turnout figures collected from the PVT’s representative statistical sample of polling units across the 30 LGAs in the state. As such, Yiaga Africa can verify that INEC’s official turnout of 42.09 per  cent falls within WTV’s estimated range and accurately reflects the turnout of voters,”the report said.