By Emeka Mamah

ENUGU—THE Nigerian Bar Association Election Working Group, NBA-EWG, has issued its preliminary report on the just concluded Anambra State governorship election, saying that most of the voters were induced with money to vote for the candidates.

Voters being screened at Aguleri, during the Governorship Election on Saturday

The “Preliminary Report of the NBA-EWG,” was jointly signed by its chairman, Festus Onuma Okoye and the Secretary, Lema Sambo Wali and made available to Vanguard yesterday.

The NBA-EWG lamented that the vote buying occurred within polling or voting centres as well as the brazen manner in which political parties flaunted money on the voters.

“Money played a significant role in the choice of voters during the election. Some of the political actors distributed money to the voters at the precinct of the polling units.

“NBA-EWG observed the inducement of voters at the precincts of the polling units and the brazen manner some political entrepreneurs carried out the exercise,” the report said and advised the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to issue an advisory to the Nigerian Police, “directing them to arrest anybody that induced voters at the precincts of the polling units without waiting for directives from the Presiding Officers.”

The NBA-EWG further noted that the use of card reader to authenticate the true personality of eligible voters had not improved due to the problems which had not been rectified since noticed during the 2015 general elections.

“The INEC should re-evaluate the current smart card reader technology in use. A more advanced and user friendly version of the smart card readers should be introduced and used for the 2019 elections,” they said.

The report read:

“The INEC conducted the Anambra Governorship Election on the 18th day of November 2017. This  stand alone  election is in consonance with the provisions of Section 180 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

Deployment of Observers

“The INEC accredited the NBA –EWG, to observe the Anambra Governorship Election. In consonance with the said accreditation, the NBA-EWG was deployed to Anambra State  on Wednesday the 15th  day of November 2017. The NBA-EWG was joined by the chairmen of the eight branches of the NBA in Anambra State. They include the chairmen of Awka, Onitsha, Ihiala, Aguata, Anocha, Nnewi, Otuocha and Idemili branches.

“The NBA- EWG was deployed to all the seven local governments in Anambra Central Senatorial District comprising Awka North, Awka South, Idemili North, Idemili South, Dunukofia, Njikoka and Anaocha. It was deployed to all the seven local governments in Anambra South Senatorial District comprising Ihiala, Ekwusigo, Nnewi North, Nnewi South, Orumba North, Orumba South and Aguata. It was also deployed to five of the seven local governments in Anambra North Senatorial District including Onitsha North, Onitsha South, Oyi, Anambra East and Ogbaru.”