By Joshua Tosin Ogunsakin 
ONE week to the governorship election in Ondo State, rice, garri, maize and other food items are exchanging hands between politicians and hungry voters.
Apart from food items being used to induce voters, cash is also being deployed to buy the loyalty of the electorate.
Investigations showed that all major candidates and political parties are involved in this food-for-votes racket currently going on in the state.
Further confirming this observation, a civil society organisation, Yiaga Africa, has also come out alleging inducement of eligible voters by political parties ahead of the poll.
The head of Knowledge, Management and Learning, Yiaga Africa, Safiya Bichi, made the disclosure on Friday in Akure, the state capital, while presenting the organisation’s pre-election assessment report during the signing of the peace accord by the political parties that will be participating in the election.
Bichi alleged that political parties and candidates in the state had resorted to inducing voters with cash gifts and food items to secure their support ahead of next week’s election.
According to her, the organisation’s long-term observers noted cases of voter inducement in Akure South, Ese-Odo, Ifedore, Irele, Ondo East, Ose and Owo local government areas during campaign activities.
She alleged that leaders of one of the major political parties distributed fertilisers, rice, garri and maize to community leaders who were assigned to distribute the items within their areas of influence.
“As the election approaches, tensions between political parties are escalating, with different sides trading accusations and warnings.
“The situation underscores the need for vigilance and peaceful conduct from all stakeholders involved. Security agencies should take proactive measures to mitigate these risks.
“Ensuring the safety of voters, election officials, and all other participants is paramount to upholding the integrity of the electoral process. Preventive measures must be prioritised to avert violence and ensure a peaceful election.”
She said statistics available to the organisation showed that voters turnout in Ondo State have not exceeded 40 percent since 2011, noting that Ondo North has a long history of high voter turnout even though Ondo Central has the highest concentration of registered voters since the conduct of the 2011 election.
“With the exception of the 2011 presidential election, Ondo Central senatorial district had the highest case of rejected votes in all elections preceding the 2020 election,” the report said.
Some residents of the state averred that politicians across parties are targeting low-income households with food items to win them to their sides, describing the trend as disturbing.
A community leader who identified himself as Kunmi slammed the idea of inducing voters with food items, saying all political parties are involved in the practice.
He said: “This exploitative tactic by these political parties is designed to buy votes and this is common in the poor communities. I have ordered my wives to return all the food items received from the political parties.
“If the political parties believe they are popular, why bribe or induce people with food items? We have been suffering before this election period. They should not give us food items that will not last for four years. The suffering will continue after the election.
“All this is due to poverty. Many people cannot afford two meals per day and they have fallen into the trap of accepting food items to survive.
“Giving us food items ahead of the election is the new tactic and this is nothing by an insult to us.”
Accept free, fair election results, General Abubakar tells politicians
Former military head of state, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, has urged political party leaders and candidates in Ondo State to accept the outcome of the November 16, 2024 governorship election once it is considered to be free, fair and credible.
He asked them to seek legitimate and peaceful means of seeking redress in the event of any concern that may arise from the exercise.
General Abubakar made the plea on Friday at the signing of the peace accord by the 17 political parties that will be participating in the election, who all gave the assurance that the election will be peaceful.
General Abubakar, who is the chairman of the National Peace Committee, at the event, appealed to all the political parties and their candidates to avoid any act that could lead to violence during the election coming up next week.
Abubakar said the signing of the peace accord was meant to commit the governorship candidates and their party chairmen to support a peaceful and credible electoral process and promote the ideals of peace and democracy.
He appealed to the party leaders and candidates to “accept the outcome of the elections as long as it is adjudged free, fair and credible” and to “seek legitimate and peaceful means of addressing any concern that may arise thereafter.”
He called on all stakeholders to “work assiduously in their capacities to ensure that peace reigns supreme during this election and that the Ondo State off-cycle election sets a precedent for other off-cycle elections to emulate.”
The former head of state said: “While I commend the INEC [Independent National Electoral Commission] for the work done so far, I call on them to continuously live up to their responsibilities in ensuring that eligible voters exercise their franchise peacefully and that the remaining electoral processes are credible free and fair.
“1 must also extol the Nigeria Police Force and members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) for maintaining peace and security in Ondo State.
“It has indeed remained one of the relatively peaceful states in the country. I, therefore, urge them to remain resilient in averting any threats of violence and maintaining the peace in the state as we are only a few days away from the elections.
“I want to encourage the good people of Ondo State to exercise their civic duty by coming out en masse to vote for the candidates of their choice and desist from selling their votes, as it contradicts the very essence of democracy.
“It remains the duty of Nigerian citizens to elect their leaders free from any inducements or prejudice. Political actors must also discontinue this menace of vote trading.
“As citizens, you must also respect that only the INEC has the constitutional authority to announce the results. Therefore, it behooves the party leaders to ensure that they play a critical role in encouraging their supporters to refrain from making statements that will incite violence within this period, especially after the results have been announced.
“I urge all politicians who will sign the accord to fully commit themselves and their parties to the letter and spirit of the accord, to shun violence and intimidation and remember that as politicians, you must demonstrate the spirit of sportsmanship, as that is a key trait of good leadership.
“It is the sincere hope of the National Peace Committee that the Ondo State election will be free, fair, credible and peaceful.”
In a remark, the INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, commended the committee for its efforts at bringing political parties and candidates together for peaceful elections in Nigeria.
“Encouraged by the success of the peace accord at the national level, the NPC accepted our request to devolve the signing of the accord beyond the presidential election to include off-cycle governorship elections in view of the tension and violence before, during and after previous elections,” Professor Yakubu said.
The INEC chairman said this was the second peace accord to be signed by political parties and candidates in the state, adding that “there has been no major election-related indent in Ondo State known to INEC.”
He said: “I am confident that with the signing of the peace accord today, the proactive measures taken by the security agencies, the roles played by our respected traditional rulers, the community and religious leaders, civil society organisations, the mass media and all other stakeholders, the 2024 Ondo State governorship election will, by the grace of God, be peaceful.
“For our part, I want to assure you that we have taken measures to address Election Day challenges, especially the perennial challenge of logistics.
“Over the last four days, I have engaged with our own officials, security agencies and transport service providers here in Ondo State to assess our readiness and perfect our arrangements for the movement of over 17,000 ad hoc and regular officials as well as large quantities of materials to 4,154 voting and collation locations (3,933 polling units, 203 ward and 18 LGA collation centres).
“In the case of Ondo State, this task is to be accomplished by boat in the two riverine local government areas of Ese Odo and Ilaje, and by a combination of trucks, four-wheel vehicles and motorcycles in respect of the mainland areas of the state.
“You should, therefore, expect to see a remarkable improvement in Election Day logistics. Voters in Ondo State should also expect to see similar improvement in result management.
“I will not be tired of appealing to political parties and candidates to note that your signatures on the peace accord document alone will not guarantee a peaceful election.
“The peace accord is not an automated, self-activating document. Your commitment to its implementation is critical.
“Therefore, as you sign the peace accord, you should commit yourselves to its implementation and pass the message to your supporters at all levels for compliance.”
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, assured the candidates and their political parties that police and other security agencies would remain impartial for the successful conduct of the election.
He assured that the police, in collaboration with other security agencies, would support the INEC in conducting the election.
“We will remain impartial, professional and vigilant while providing a level playing ground for political parties and their candidates,” he said.
The state governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, assured the committee of the safety of all stakeholders during and after the election.