From Idu Jude, Abuja
The Electoral Hub, a civil society organisation (CSO), has said that the success of the just-concluded Ondo State election will continue to serve as a positive example for future elections in Nigeria and reinforces the importance of continuous improvement in the country’s electoral processes.
The Director of the group, Princess Hamman-Obels, in a press briefing, stated that the 2024 Ondo election represents a significant step forward in Nigeria’s democratic journey.
The group said that the election showcases the potential for free, fair, and credible elections when all stakeholders work together towards a common goal of protecting electoral sanctity, accountability, and integrity.
“Consequently, we call on all Nigerians to remain engaged in the democratic process, to continue to demand transparency and accountability from our electoral institutions, political and sociocultural leaders, and to actively participate in shaping the future of our nation.”
Furthermore, the group observed that the preparedness rate across most visited centres indicates a generally high level of electoral readiness.
The statement reads in part:
“In observing the electoral process, we found good improvement in electoral logistics. Notably, on election day, the majority of polling units opened promptly at 8:30 AM. This demonstrates INEC’s commitment to improvements and maintaining the integrity of the electoral process. It also shows better performance compared to the previous elections from state transport providers such as the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), and the Maritime Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MWUN).
“We observed the participation of the aged, youth, and women, including special groups such as pregnant women and those with infants. They were also prioritised by provisions of INEC guidelines and regulations, in compliance with Section 54 of the Electoral Act 2022, which provides for appropriate treatment for voters with disabilities (VWD), such as providing braille and magnifying glasses at PUs.
“We observed a high level of good conduct by ad-hoc staff in the election (e.g. presiding officers—NYSC and LGA collation officers—lecturers), as they were able to carry out duties expected of them by the rules and regulations for the conduct of the election and in good time. This testifies to the training and retraining that INEC informed stakeholders was done.
“They performed very well, both for accreditation and result upload. The effective use of BVAS played a crucial role in enhancing INEC’s electoral service delivery, such as quick and smooth voter accreditation. During accreditation, there were reduced incidents of impersonation and enhanced transparency. The BVAS performance was also excellent during the result management process, as over 90% of the PU results in EC8A were already uploaded on the IReV by 6:30 PM on election day. This is one of the quickest records so far since the introduction of the BVAS technology. BVAS contributed significantly to the credibility and integrity of the voting and result-access process.
“The prompt uploading of PU results (the EC8As) to the IReV allowed for real-time monitoring of election outcomes, fostering transparency and trust in voters and citizens. As of 6 PM on election day, over 80% of the PU election results had been uploaded to the IReV portal. At the end of the process on November 17, 2024, a total of 3,907 out of 3,933 PU results had been uploaded to the portal, representing 99.34% of the PU results.
“We observed at the State Collation Centre that by 11:40 PM on election day, 10 out of the 18 LGAs had brought their results, and by 2 AM, an additional 5 LGAs brought results. State collation started at midnight. The remaining 3 LGAs—Odigbo (340 PUs), Ilaje (292 PUs), and Ese Odo (143 PUs)—came on Sunday morning due to their distance and terrain (riverine LGAs).
“Security personnel were present in the polling units observed. For instance, PU 005, Ward 05, Akure North LGA; PU 007, Ward 04, Akoko North West LGA; PU 006, Ward 04, Akoko North West LGA; and PU 011, Ward 04, Akoko North West LGA, had adequate security present for the conduct of the election. Security agents were also very heavily present in the LGA and State Collation Centres. For instance, in Ifedore and Akure LGA Centres, we recorded over twenty (20) uniformed security personnel. This number was doubled at the State Collation Centre, where the final results collation, announcement, and declaration were held.
“The election was generally peaceful. We commend the efforts of stakeholders such as the security agencies and election officials to maintain order, accountability, and transparency during the process. In particular, the citizens of Ondo State must be commended for a peaceful electoral environment. They were the real MVPs of the election, as they have once again proven that democracy thrives when individuals are civil and committed to upholding electoral integrity. Voters demonstrated commitment.”
On the peaceful conduct of the election, it said the citizens serve as a good practice for future elections.
Commenting on the downside of the election, The Electoral Hub pointed out that there were incidents of violence, ballot snatching, and shooting in Idanre LGA during the poll. Shooting occurred at RA 06, Unit 1; RA 07, Units 3, 7, and 10. Thugs snatched a ballot box at RA 02, Unit 9.
It also noted that there was poor voter turnout for the election. The total votes cast for the election were 508,963. The total register of voters was 2,053,061, while the total PVCs collected was 1,757,205. Voter turnout based on the register of voters is 24.7%, approximately 25%, while based on PVC collection, it is 28.96%, approximately 29%. This low turnout is possibly because of the general disenchantment of citizens not experiencing the expected ‘dividends of democracy’. Citizens’ apathy to governance is generally on the rise due to challenging socioeconomic realities.
It also noted that one of the major downsides of the election is the massive vote-trading by party agents and voters.
“During the polls, the major political parties bought votes between ₦3,000 and ₦10,000. This has become a feature of our electoral landscape in Nigeria and will continue if the socioeconomic woes are not addressed and the standard of living of citizens is not improved.
The Electoral Hub remains steadfast in its commitment to promoting electoral knowledge, accountability, and integrity.
“We believe that continuous dialogue and multilogues among stakeholders are essential for fostering a fair, accountable, and transparent electoral environment conducive to democratic participation. Therefore, we call on all stakeholders, including the EMB, political parties, civil society, and the public, to uphold electoral laws, ensure electoral accountability, and safeguard electoral sanctity and integrity. Beyond elections, we urge all stakeholders to continue working together towards a more robust democratic system.”