By Rasheed Lateef
Some prospective voters have accused officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Edo State of flouting established procedures during the ongoing voter registration exercise ahead of the 2027 governorship election.
The applicants made the allegations following the registration exercise held on June 19, 2026, at INEC’s Oredo Local Government Area office located along Ekewan Road in Benin City.
The registrants alleged that officials disregarded the appointment schedule generated through INEC’s online pre-registration portal, claiming that individuals without appointments and others who arrived later were attended to before applicants who had been waiting for several hours.
Some of the applicants further alleged that money exchanged hands to facilitate faster registration.
One applicant claimed he observed a man escorting a group of people into the registration area after allegedly making payments to one of the officials handling the exercise.
Speaking on the development, a registrant, Jeremiah Osarodion, alleged that he witnessed a woman accompanied by about 17 others seeking to transfer their Permanent Voter Cards from different locations to Oredo Local Government Area.
Another applicant, Benedict Victor, claimed that one of the women openly spoke about selling her vote during future elections.
According to him, the woman allegedly told others that she made substantial financial gains during the last Edo State governorship election and encouraged members of her group to do the same.
The alleged remarks reportedly sparked reactions among other applicants, who expressed concern over what they described as the normalization of vote trading despite sustained campaigns against electoral malpractice.
Some registrants warned that the alleged irregularities, if not addressed, could erode public confidence in the voter registration process and the credibility of future elections.
They called on INEC to investigate the allegations and ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and in accordance with established guidelines.
Efforts to obtain an official response from INEC officials at the registration centre were unsuccessful, as one official reportedly declined to comment on the allegations when approached by journalists.
INEC has consistently maintained that voter registration services are free of charge, while vote buying and vote selling remain criminal offences under Nigeria’s Electoral Act.
