Two Observer Groups in the ongoing Ondo State Governorship Election have decried the massive subversion of the electoral process in Akure, the Ondo State capital, Ondo town, Igbara Oke, Ilaramokin and Okitipupa axis of the state, among others.
The groups revealed that the fears nursed about vote-buying by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have come to the light, as voters are made to take photographs of their ballot papers and present the same as evidence to collect money ranging from N20,000 to N25,000.
The Joint Action Council for Democratic Governance (JACODEG) and the Social Alliance for Democratisation in Nigeria (SADEN), raised the alarm in separate statements on Saturday.
According to the statements signed by the Executive Director of JACODEG, Mr Dennis Okparaocha and the Coordinator of SADEN, Justina Nkano, “the outcome of the election cannot be deemed free, fair and credible if the security agencies do not do more to arrest the vote-buying operations currently ongoing across polling units in the state.”
The groups accused the men of the Nigeria Police of complicity in the ‘sad scheme,’ noting that policemen at polling units have been looking away from the APC’s reckless corruption of the electoral process.
They called on INEC, EFCC, DSS to do more to arrest the situation before it derails the will of the people in freely choosing their leader.
The groups equally lauded the Department of State Security Officials for being alert and arresting politicians moving money around, citing the arrest of a politician with two Ghana Must Go Bags full of money around St Stephen's Primary School, Ijomu Street, Akure.