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From Sola Ojo, Abuja
Allegations of vote buying and unlawful campaigning surfaced on Saturday across several polling units in Nyanya and parts of Asokoro in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
This is even as security presence remained tight and no incidents of violence were recorded.
At Polling Unit 041 in Nyanya, an agent of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) initially raised concerns over alleged campaigning within the polling area.
However, after being engaged by observers, the agent reportedly denied the claim.
Similarly, at Polling Unit 042, Phase 4, Nyanya, an agent of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) alleged incidents of vote buying, claiming that some individuals were induced to influence their choices at the ballot.
All major political parties, including the Labour Party, All Progressives Congress (APC), PDP and ADC, were represented on the ballot papers across the affected polling units.
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Party agents were visibly present, but there were no formal protests recorded over the late arrival of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in parts of Nyanya.
Observers noted that voting generally proceeded in an orderly manner, with voters arriving, casting their ballots and leaving without disruption.
However, credible sources alleged that vote buying may have occurred in Asokoro’s Kundurma village, where agents of a political party were said to have induced voters and monitored them to ensure compliance with prior agreements before directing them to collect undisclosed sums.
There were also claims of “coded” vote buying allegedly carried out in collaboration with Point-of-Sale (POS) operators.
According to the allegations, compromised voters were instructed on how to vote and subsequently directed to specific locations to receive payment.
Despite the allegations, security personnel maintained a visible presence at polling units, and no violent incidents were reported as of the time of filing this report…..
