By Chesa Chesa
Party agents at the Presidential Villa polling units on Saturday induced voters with food, soft drinks, water and biscuits, and promise of money to have their candidates win the polls.
Eyewitnesses at the ward 022 and 021 polling units told reporters that some of the agents were busy taking advantage of the hot weather and absence of cash to do brisk business buying the essentials items in return for votes.
The eye witnesses said parties agents took strategic positions where some of the voters, after thumb printing their ballots papers, will deliberately leave it open for the agents to see, before folding and dropping into the ballot boxes, as evidence of support for their party.
Some voters who spoke under condition of anonymity lamented that party agents of two political parties, conveyed voters in a coaster bus to the venue and each voter after vote cast was directed to a particular building near the polling unit to have their lunch and given a stipend afterwards.
Some of the voters alleged that the same set of people were ferried out of the Villa in the same coaster bus that brought them.
An aggrieved voter who was bold enough to report to security agents present, was told they were assigned to the polling units and not to private residence and thereby cannot interrogate the activities going on there.
Recall President Muhammadu Buhari had in 2019 while seeking re-election had lost the polls in the seat of paper.
Former President Goodluck Jonathan had also lost in 2015 at the two polling units in the Villa.
Labour Party supervisor/agent at the presidential villa and chapter coordinator, John Dunu, confirming vote buying exclusively, said “we are leading with great margin irrespective of the fact that there is massive vote buying.
Although we might not give evidence, God so kind we are leading and we have won all the polling units I have received the form EC8. We are awaiting results from the remaining two polling units 021 and 022 which are being counted right now and we are leading.”
Asked if he tried to make official report on the vote buying, he said: “Before making a report you must have an evidence. But if you noticed the building opposite us, it was locked with chains and other irons, but even a child will know that vote buying is happening in there.”
