The British High Commission in Nigeria has thumbed up the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies for the “peaceful conduct” of the governorship election in Ekiti state.
In a statement , the British Commission said it was however concerned over vote trading and delays caused by the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
INEC declared Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the election, stating that the current governor secured 319,224 votes to defeat Wole Oluyede of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who polled 40,543 votes, and Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) who got 12,872 votes.
But allegations of vote-buying and voter suppression in some polling units were talking points afterwards.
There were also technical glitches, with the BVAS device failing to capture some elderly voters and causing delays in certain polling units.
The British commission congratulated voters in the state for exercising their democratic rights through their participation in the election.
“On the day of the election, our observers witnessed positive collaboration between INEC officials and security agencies, which played an important role in ensuring voting was mostly peaceful,” the statement reads.
“While our team noted the prioritisation of vulnerable voters at several polling units, which is commendable, the physical location and set-up of most polling units visited were inaccessible to voters with disabilities.
“Our observers also noted delays to the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) at some polling units, which slowed down voting. Technical issues risk undermining voter confidence in electoral systems and can discourage turnout.”
The commission further raised concerns about vote-buying and interference by party agents during the election.
“Our observation team was concerned to see instances of vote trading and interference by party agents at polling units visited. Vote trading erodes public confidence and undermines the democratic process. We call on all actors to take urgent steps to address this corrosive practice,” added the UK.
