The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has unveiled its observation report on the Ondo State governorship election, which took place on Saturday, November 16, 2024, highlighting concerns over low voter turnout and intra-party conflicts.
The election saw Lucky Aiyedatiwa, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), emerge victorious, winning in all 18 Local Government Areas with 366,781 votes. In contrast, Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured 117,845 votes.
According to the report, the observation mission was led by Director, CDD-West Africa, Dr. Dauda Garuba, and Prof. Victor Adetula. The CDD Election Analysis Centre (EAC) deployed 104 trained and accredited observers, including 14 countering disinformation monitors, to observe the election process.
“The Ondo State 2024 governorship election has been won and lost,” the report stated. “The election was less competitive due to intense intra-party conflicts within the major political parties at both the state and federal levels.” The report added, “Recent socioeconomic concerns and limited candidate and party engagement with voters have contributed to increased voter apathy.”
The election was characterized by low voter turnout, with a 24.8% voter turnout, despite a high PVC collection rate. This low turnout was attributed to intense intra-party conflicts, socioeconomic concerns, and limited candidate and party engagement with voters.
Election security was a concern, with incidents of violence and disruptions in some polling units.
However, the prompt deployment of security agencies and the restriction on vehicular movement helped maintain order during the election.
The Inspector-General of Police deployed 22,239 police officers to Ondo State, supplemented by 6,000 personnel from the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps. Local security outfits were banned from participating in election security to maintain impartiality.
“A restriction on vehicular movement was enforced from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on election day, with exemptions for essential services,” the report noted.
The CDD-EAC commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its efforts in preparing for the elections, including training ad-hoc staff and deploying Registration Area Technical officers (RATECHs).
The commission noted significant improvements in the functioning of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), but raised concerns about instances where BVAS machines failed to recognize registered voters and form EC 60 E was not displayed at some polling units.
The CDD-EAC expressed concern over the prevalence of vote-buying and disinformation during the election and called for thorough investigations and prosecution of perpetrators.
The Explainer learned, voter turnout was lowest in Ondo Central, despite having the highest number of registered voters. The APC won the election with commanding margins in Owo, Akoko South-West, Ilaje, and Akoko North-East.
The report emphasized that identity and zoning played crucial roles in the election outcome.
“Ondo North came out emphatically for the APC, believed to be because of the party’s deputy governorship nominee, who is from their zone,” the report explained.
The CDD-EAC commended the citizens of Ondo State for their participation in the electoral process and urged all stakeholders to uphold peace and respect the rule of law.
The organization recommended that INEC explain discrepancies in voter data and assure Nigerians about the sacrosanct nature of election-related data.
The CDD-EAC emphasized the importance of strengthening fact-checking initiatives to counter disinformation and called on citizens to remain active participants in Nigeria’s civic process.
“As the process transitions into the post-election phase, we call on all citizens to remain active participants in Nigeria’s civic process,” the report stated.
