Ballot secrecy compromise, party agents interference’ — NGO highlights incidents dominating Anambra guber

The Kimpact Development Initiative (KDI), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has highlighted issues dominating the Anambra governorship election.

During a mid-election day press briefing in Awka, the state capital, the organisation said the Anambra governorship election is a critical test of Nigeria’s democratic resilience, given the state’s political significance as Nigerians prepare for the next general elections.

“KDI’s mid-day findings serve as an early assessment of the election’s conduct, focusing on INEC’s logistics performance, security deployment, and the general atmosphere of peace and credibility,” the NGO said.

“The Election Day Data Room (EDDR) received reports on arrival from 1016 polling units across Anambra state.

“Analysis shows that INEC officials and election materials were reported to have arrived late in 32.15 percent of those units, while 67.85 percent arrived earlier.

“Nevertheless, in the polling units we observed, voting commenced after 8.45am in close to 50 percent of them.

“KDI observed that late commencement was due to absence of INEC officials in some places, voters and at the instance of INEC adhoc officials they link this to the absence of security officials, without which they (election officers) couldn’t move from RAC to commence the voting process for security purposes.”

BVAS FUNCTIONED OPTIMALLY IN 95.6 PERCENT OF POLLING UNITS

KDI said it observed that the BVAS devices functioned optimally in 95.6 percent of the polling units monitored across the state.

“A few polling units — 2.64 percent — experienced minor network-related disruptions, which were promptly resolved in several cases. In some locations, the BVAS failed to capture fingerprints, requiring officials to revert to facial authentication to complete voter verification,” KDI said.

“However, the devices broke down in 1.76 percent of the polling units observed.”

On secrecy of ballot, KDI said it observed widespread compromise of ballot secrecy across several polling units.

“Voters were seen openly displaying their marked ballots to party agents after voting, a practice that fosters vote trading and undermines the integrity of the electoral process,” the NGO said.

“In many instances, party agents were observed leading voters away from the polling units after confirming their votes to get the reward for voting in a certain direction.

“Evidence from the field suggests a concerning level of tacit consensus among multiple political parties in perpetuating this practice.”

KDI noted that a concerning development observed across polling units was the pervasive interference by political party agents in the voting process.

The NGO added that observation documentation shows “systematic violations of electoral guidelines” by party agents.

“Party agents have been observed engaging in blatant vote-buying operations, approaching voters with cash inducements ranging from ₦3,000 to ₦10,000, establishing ‘verification points’ where voters received payments after casting their ballots,” KDI said.

“These violations represent a fundamental assault on the integrity of the electoral process, undermining the principles of free, fair, and credible elections, while the failure of INEC officials and security personnel at affected polling units to curtail these activities raises serious concerns about enforcement of electoral guidelines and protection of voters’ rights.”

DEPLOYMENT, CONDUCT OF SECURITY PERSONNEL

On deployment and conduct of security personnel, KDI said there was a disconnect between the figures announced for security officials deployed and the actual ground presence.

“Our observers have documented sparse and uneven distribution of security personnel at polling units, with many locations having minimal or no visible security presence, while security forces appear concentrated at strategic locations,” KDI said.

KDI added that so far, its observers recorded 21 incidents of violence across over 1000 polling units observed.

“These incidents involved group clashes, voter intimidation and harassment, physical assault, and ballot box snatching. Of the reported cases, seven in Oyi, three  occurred in Ogbaru, Njikoka, and one in Anambra east, Anaocha, Nnewi north, Orunmba and Nnewi south,” the NGO said.

“The perpetrators were identified as party agents and voters, with one incident involving a security officer who discharged tear gas at a polling location.”

The organisation added that preliminary observations from its field reports indicate low voter turnout across several polling units.

The NGO said observers noted that many polling stations were sparsely populated, with “some officials seen seated with only two to five voters waiting in line”.

“While turnout appeared low in the early hours, it is hoped that more voters will come out before the close of polls,” KDI said.

KDI, therefore, urged all stakeholders, including voters, party agents, security personnel, and electoral officials to maintain peace, calm, and decorum throughout the electoral process.

“We reiterate the importance of transparency at every stage of the election and emphasise that the final results must truly reflect the will of the people,” the NGO said.