…requires substantial reforms

By Gabriel Ewepu

ABUJA- THE Ondo governorship election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, must have come and gone, an election observer, Kimpact Development Initiative, KDI, Tuesday, asserted that the election was partially free and fair.

This was contained in a report presented during a press conference organised by KDI and titled ‘Final statement on the Conduct of the 2024 Ondo State Governorship off-circle Election’ held on November 16, 2024, which was signed by Team Lead, KDI, Bukola Idowu.

According to the report, four core areas were focused on during the election:Election Violence Monitoring and Mitigation: This tracks and mitigates electoral violence through an Election Security Early Warning System (ESEWS) using globally acceptable risk indicators and real-time data from our long-term security monitors; Ballot Integrity Project (BIP): An effort that independently verifies the accuracy of election results using statistical and scientific methods to enhance the credibility of electoral outcomes.

Campaign Finance Oversight: An intervention that ensures transparency in campaign finance by tracking and documenting political parties’ and candidates’ expenditures to promote compliance with campaign finance laws; NaijaElections: Utilisation of artificial intelligence to enhance democratic knowledge. NaijaElections is an AI-powered guide to Nigeria’s electoral laws, guidelines, and procedures, offering citizens precise, context-specific electoral knowledge.

The election observer, KDI also established a dedicated Election Data Room (EDR), which opened on November 14, 2024. The EDR analysed real-time reports from 3,362 trained observers deployed across the 203 wards of Ondo State, the observers provided live updates on electoral incidents, the conduct of election officials, ballot integrity, and security-related issues. Their reports provide a comprehensive picture of the election environment.

According to the report, KDI over the past nine months actively monitored and analysed the pre-election environment, deploying 45 long-term monitors to identify and document early warning signs of potential electoral violence. This effort has established an Election Security Early Warning System (ESEWS) across all 18 local government areas (LGAs) in Ondo State, utilising globally accepted indicators tested in over 11 countries through the IFES/EVER methodology.

The report indicated that on Election Day it was relatively peaceful in its early hours, with a notable adequacy in policing structures and professionalism as security personnel played a critical role in ensuring order, enforcing movement restrictions, and maintaining a visible presence.

The early arrival of election materials and timely deployment of polling officials reflected a high level of preparedness by INEC, and before 8:00 am in most cases, with voting commencing shortly thereafter.

BVAS generally performed well, although isolated malfunctions, particularly with capturing the biometrics of elderly voters, were noted. Nevertheless, the trajectory of KDI’s overall a of the election did not deviate from the preliminary observations.

However, according to the report, while the election day logistics were efficient and over 90% of PUs commenced the voting and accreditation process on time, there were widespread incidents of vote-buying. The phenomenon of vote buying remains entrenched, with transactions observed across all senatorial districts involving amounts ranging from ₦5,000 to over ₦10,000.

Also, there was interference by the party agents somewhat led to sporadic violence in some locations because they were notable challenges, raising questions about the robustness of Nigeria’s electoral integrity.

The report reading part, “KDI believes that evaluating elections solely through the lens of comparative improvement solely within the Nigerian context risks normalising ordinariness and diverging from global best practices.

“The Ondo 2024 elections were conducted with notable efforts toward transparency and monitoring. 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.”

Meanwhile, KDI recommendations include; “Strengthen Enforcement Mechanisms against Election Misconduct: Establish mobile courts on election day to swiftly address cases of vote-buying, intimidation, and other violations.

“Empower the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) to collaborate more actively with INEC in monitoring and prosecuting electoral offences, especially vote buying. o Increase penalties for violations to deter misconduct, such as vote-buying and ballot box snatching.

“Improve BVAS and Technological Efficiency; Conduct rigorous pre-election testing of BVAS devices and ensure the availability of technical support teams across all polling units; Increase training for polling officials to minimize errors in BVAS operation and troubleshooting; Expand investment in backup systems to address potential malfunctions on election day.

“By implementing these recommendations, Nigeria can further entrench the principles of democracy, strengthen the credibility of its electoral processes, and foster public trust in democratic institutions. KDI remains committed to supporting efforts that promote electoral integrity and accountability in Nigeria.

“We commend the people of Ondo State, INEC, security agencies, and civil society partners for their roles in this election and urge stakeholders to take these lessons forward in the collective quest for a stronger democracy.”