Votes Went To Highest Bidder In Polling Units – Nengi James

What is your impression about the election so far?
My impression so far is that the election is going on, accreditation and voting are going on. There are pockets of violence, especially at Sagbama where materials were hijacked, at Amassoma where a Senior Presiding Officer was abducted, and at Famgbe, where there was shooting on Friday evening. Somebody was hospitalized.
I want to sympathise with the police. One of their vehicles had an accident at Imgbi Road Junction and the car is still there. NPF 6790 D. I think other places are where I also want to sympathise with INEC where the boat ferrying its crew capsized in Koluama and some other issues where BVAS machines were seized and dumped in the river and part of RAC 17, I think it is Southern Ijaw area. So, I want to say that apart from these skirmishes and issues, the voting and accreditation are going on well.
You have been in Yenagoa since morning. What did you observe?
Yenagoa city is calm because security presence is very high and for the security, I give them kudos. They are doing their best; INEC too for logistics and other things. I think there is enough improvement. I want INEC to improve more.
Did you notice that there was vote buying in a lot of the polling units?
For the voters, I think I am so disappointed. I see a lot of vote buying going on, especially areas that I have been to in the state capital. It has never been so visible and canvassing. It’s like people are being dragged, ‘Come, we are paying more. We are paying more.’ Even as you are talking to me, you are seeing it. Even the security agencies have no power to arrest. So, they too are just watching. Like the whole of this place, most of the police officers have left the scene. All of them, maybe they are going to collect theirs. As I am talking only less than three policemen are still walking around in a place where they have six voting units in Ward -6.
I have been to other areas. The vote buying is very common. And I am not surprised that it is coming.
Can’t it be checked?
In a recent seminar partnered by the police and political parties, one of the chairmen of the political parties said, “Commissioner of police, I want to inform you that vote buying cannot be stopped by anybody because leadership is very bad. There is bad leadership and we cannot stop it. They want the ordinary people to be poor so that they will continue to buy votes. That is the situation Nigeria is. So, nobody can stop vote buying.”
And I witnessed it here. Nobody said anything. But today, I have really understood why the party chairman was saying so; it’s even beyond 2015 and 2019. And it’s common. Even the EFCC and security personnel are here. But they don’t see it. I don’t know. They just walked around and left. But we that have been here for the past two hours we know what is going on. That is why we are around. Nobody can say vote buying is not on by all the political parties, especially the two leading contenders.
With this situation, can the outcome be taken as credible?
So, the highest bidder can win any of the units. That is what it is. It is not the conscience of the people. No. We have tried. CSOs have tried, INEC has tried to sensitise the people. But the feelings I got from them is they say, “This is their time. There is hunger, man must wack.” So they should also have their transport. The economy is not easy to trek down. So, they have to also get their share according to them. That is what I observed. So, generally, the voting is going on. We don’t know what will happen after the now. These are the things that are happening around and I want to say that we call for a free, fair and acceptable election and violence-free, especially in the capital city. Maybe, after now; I don’t know what is happening somewhere else. After my interview with you, maybe I will get to know other areas.