Off-cycle Polls: CTA Gives INEC Pass Mark

The Centre for Transparency Advocacy ( CTA) has given the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) a pass mark on the conduct of Imo, Bayelsa, and Kogi state elections. 

Executive director of CTA, Faith Nwadishi told newsmen in Owerri that safe for few exceptions, the BVAS functioned optimally while the adhoc staff exhibited professionalism and knowledge of their duties.

Nwadishi said the CTA set up a situation room in Owerri, from where it monitored the polls even as she disclosed that the conduct was marred with vote buying.

She said “Our observers reported that vote buying, and selling were rife with the major parties deploying new vote buying schemes/tactics to evade security operatives. Nigerians, the INEC, the Security Agencies and other stakeholders need to work out measures to effectively address this ugly phenomenon”. 

The group called for the adoption of stricter measures on the signing of peace accord among candidates saying “We recommend that the peace accord usually signed by parties/candidates as mere ritual, be made justiciable. Parties and contestants must be made to swear to an affidavit using the peace accord”. 

According to CTA, their observers discovered that many voters showed lack of concern with governorship elections as compared to their enthusiastic turnout during the presidential election.  

On political parties, CTA advocated that they be sensitised to know that “encouraging vote buying is a criminal offence while the security agencies should make party officials liable for the vote buying activities of their agents”.

On the conduct of political parties and their agents during elections, CTA described them as the weakest link in the push for election reforms because the tendencies to manipulate the process through inducement and violence still remained. 

Nwadishi said the voter apathy was not unconnected “with heightened fear of insecurity and poor voter education in the three states. CTA observed that many voters showed lack of concern with governorship elections as compared to their enthusiastic turnout during the presidential election”.  

CTA called on political parties and INEC to improve voters education, to help the electorates understand the importance of governorship elections.

However, the group commended voters for their orderly and peaceful conduct during the November 11th election.