Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), a non-governmental organisation that advances good governance and democratic rights, has said there was no evidence to suggest direct state interference in the November 16 Ondo State governorship election.
Describing the poll as partially free and fair, the organisation in its final statement on the election said it was conducted with notable efforts toward transparency and monitoring.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, KDI Team Lead, Bukola Idowu, who said the organisation deployed 3,362 trained observers across the 203 wards of the state, said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) demonstrated logistical efficiency and transparent communication of procedures.
Noting that this contributed to a well organised election and timely release of results on the INEC Results Viewing Portal, Idowu further said the poll saw commendable efforts to ensure equal and secret suffrage with no reported cases of voter discrimination.
“No evidence suggested direct interference by the state during the election, and INEC’s operations were conducted independently,” Idowu said.
“However, pre-election protests calling for the removal of the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) over alleged bias towards a candidate highlighted public concerns about potential partisanship within the Election Management Body (EMB).
“Such an allegation, though not proven, continues to deepen the negative perception against INEC. Knowing fully well that there have been public outcries against the appointment of some of the leadership team of INEC recently.”
While lamenting the widespread cases of vote buying during the poll, he however observed that most polling officials demonstrated professionalism and timeliness in their duties.
Idowu said the organisation also reported a couple of voter registration discrepancies, overvoting, and bypassing Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) in certain areas indicating systemic breaches.
He said: “For instance, INEC stated before the election that the number of registered voters entering into the election is 2,053,061; however, the cumulative figure from the LGA returning officer and electoral officer shows 2,051,135 – In Akoko Southwest, a whooping 4,341 RV were added to the registered while in Ondo East a whooping of 4,901 was reduced from the initial figure released, and in llaje, 1,063 were reduced from the initial number of RV released by INEC.
“These can be traced to a lot of things but one of them is how the poll workers manage the process and records at the PUs which is at the heart of the quality of data released at all levels. Equally, this speaks to the credibility of the process.
“There were several reports of political party polling agents interfering in the process and doing beyond what their legal roles are – Polling agents were widely seen as the merchants of vote buying in most polling units. 58 per cent of the violent acts reported to the KDI EDR were perpetrated by the party agents — there were instances where blatant vote buying by party agents led to clashes notably in Ward 5 PU 3 in idanre LGA – where It was alleged that it was one of the party agents that called the thugs that came to shoot sporadically in the air.
“In Odigbo Ward 1 PU 63, party agents were seen desecrating the secrecy of the ballot by trying to tell the voters how and where to vote which led to physical assault and the same happened in Ward 10 PU 11 of the same LGA. In ward 8 PU 6 in Akoko South-East LGA, observers saw party agents fighting over who would assist an elderly man to vote. These call for concern and must be nipped in the bud before they grow out of wings.”
On election security, Idowu said despite 26 verified reports of election-related violence, the overall process was relatively peaceful compared to past elections.
He said “transparency measures such as BVAS and IReV boosted confidence, the process largely allowed voter participation and ensured timely result dissemination.
“Systemic issues—including weak enforcement of laws, procedural inconsistencies, party agent misconduct, and technical irregularities, posed a challenge to the election’s credibility, and these issues must be addressed to enhance future electoral processes.
“Thus, the elections can be categorised as partially free and fair, demonstrating progress in some areas but requiring substantial reforms to achieve higher integrity and broader acceptance in future elections.”
The organisation called for the establishment of mobile courts on election day to swiftly address cases of vote-buying, intimidation, and other violations.
It also asked the government to empower anti-graft agencies to collaborate more actively with INEC in monitoring and prosecuting electoral offences.
