“In terms of vote buying, there’s a paradigm shift,” Odo told SaharaReporters.
The Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room has raised concerns over what it described as an evolving pattern of vote buying during Saturday’s Ekiti State governorship election, alleging that political actors have largely abandoned direct cash payments in favour of distributing goods and other material inducements to voters.
Speaking exclusively to SaharaReporters after monitoring the election across the state’s 16 local government areas, the Co-Convener of the Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room and Head of Programmes and Policy at Connected Development (CODE), Celestine Okwudili Odo, said observers recorded incidents suggesting that vote buying had taken on a new form, particularly in rural communities.
According to him, while outright cash-for-vote transactions appeared less visible than in previous elections, political actors allegedly adopted what he described as a “merchandising” approach to influencing voters.
“In terms of vote buying, there’s a paradigm shift,” Odo told SaharaReporters.
