CTA Commends INEC for Edo Election, Urges Action Against Vote Buying Ahead of Ondo Polls

The Centre for Transparency and Advocacy (CTA), a Civil Society Organization (CSO) and an election monitoring group has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the conduct of Saturday's off-cycle governorship election in Edo State. 

The CTA expressed hope that the peaceful atmosphere witnessed during the election would be replicated in the Ondo State governorship election in November.

However, the CSO urged INEC, security agencies, and other stakeholders to devise strategies to combat the growing trend of vote buying and selling.

While presenting CTA's final observation report on the Edo election, the Executive Director of CTA, Faith Nwadishi, highlighted the increasing normalization of vote buying and selling by political parties and their operatives. 

She stated that major political parties were employing creative methods to evade law enforcement on election day.

Nwadishi advised political parties to mobilize voters consistently, rather than relying on vote buying during elections, noting that this could help reduce voter apathy, which was evident in the Edo election.

She also called on INEC to maintain its commitment to transparency and retain successful logistical practices from the Edo election, such as the early deployment of materials 24 hours prior to the election, particularly to remote areas.

Furthermore, Nwadishi expressed concern over the lack of accessibility for persons with disabilities (PWDs) at polling centres, despite efforts by the Edo Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) to engage with disability organizations. 

She urged INEC to increase the recruitment of PWDs, provide sign language interpreters, and ensure proper delimitation of polling units to guarantee accessibility for all.