CDD says Osun election shows early polling but flags BVAS failures, vote buying and violence threatening voter freedom.
The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), through its Election Analysis Centre (CDD-EAC), has raised concerns over BVAS failures, vote buying and isolated cases of violence in the ongoing Osun State governorship election.
In its preliminary statement on the conduct of the election, issued on Saturday, CDD said the process had been generally operational but uneven across the state.
The organisation said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recorded a strong start, with 94.5 per cent of the state’s 3,763 polling units opening by 8:30am.
According to the statement, CDD observers found that 89.1 per cent of monitored polling units had INEC officials arrive before 8:30am, while the remaining locations recorded later arrivals.
However, the group said some polling units experienced delays, including a location in Ife Central Local Government Area where a political party agent was reportedly already in possession of the voters’ register before INEC officials arrived.
CDD said the development required clarification, particularly on the custody and control of sensitive electoral materials.
The organisation also identified BVAS performance as one of the major operational challenges in the election.
It reported slow accreditation and biometric verification difficulties in several locations, including Ejigbo, Obokun, Osogbo, Olorunda and Ola Oluwa.
At Ede North, CDD said voting was disrupted for a considerable period because of a BVAS problem, while voters in Ede South reportedly experienced delays due to slow processing.
On vote buying, the organisation said it received reports of vote solicitation around polling units and cited a media report alleging that agents of the APC and Accord were involved in vote buying at AUD Primary School, Atile, Ikire, in Irewole Local Government Area.
It said party agents reportedly monitored voters around polling booths and used tags to facilitate payment after ballots were cast.
CDD also reported that an individual was arrested by ICPC personnel at a polling unit in Irepodun Local Government Area for allegedly possessing signed paper tallies.
The organisation said vote buying “undermines the secrecy and integrity of the ballot” and called for credible allegations to be investigated.
On violence, CDD identified the incident at Polling Unit 13, Ward 4, Ejigbo Local Government Area, where ADC governorship candidate Najeem Salaam voted, as the most significant reported incident.
It said men suspected to be hired thugs disrupted the polling unit, forcing voters and electoral officials to flee and bringing voting to a halt.
CDD also referenced reports from Modakeke, while stressing that allegations by Governor Ademola Adeleke that voters were tear-gassed in parts of Modakeke and Obokun should be independently investigated.
The organisation said security agencies must maintain political neutrality and protect voters regardless of their political affiliation.
Despite the concerns, CDD said the overall conduct observed across most monitored locations remained orderly, with voting proceeding peacefully in several parts of the state.
The group said the preliminary evidence showed “modest improvement and some vulnerabilities”, adding that the problems identified were geographically specific rather than uniform across Osun.
In its strongest assessment, CDD said: “Electoral credibility is ultimately determined not only by the number of polling units that open, but by whether every eligible voter can vote freely, without intimidation, inducement or technological obstruction.”
The organisation said it was too early to make a definitive judgment on the credibility of the entire election because voting, counting and collation were still ongoing.
CDD commended the 2.3 million Osun voters who had turned out to exercise their democratic rights peacefully and said it would continue monitoring the election before issuing a comprehensive post-election assessment.