The European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) has warned that vote-buying through cash, food items and other inducements remains a major threat to the credibility of Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State.

In a communiqué issued after a meeting held on Friday at the Afe Babalola Civic Centre in Ado-Ekiti, the group expressed concern over political intimidation, misinformation, and alleged abuse by security agencies ahead of the poll.

“The menace of voter inducement remains a significant threat to the credibility of elections. There are reports of the use of money, food items and other materials to influence voters and an organised vote-buying scheme, involving the use of pre-credited bank accounts for harvesting details of Permanent Voter Card (PVC) and National Identification Number (NIN) in exchange for their votes, in Irepodun/Ifelodun, Ikole, Ikere, Ekiti East and Ekiti West LGAs, raising concerns about misuse of personal data for voter manipulation,” the group said.

It added that there were reported cases of political intimidation involving the use of political thugs and disruptions of campaign activities in Ado Ekiti, Ikole and Oye local government areas, which undermine voter confidence and public trust in the electoral process.

The group also expressed concern over the misuse of personal data for voter manipulation.

It also reported cases of political intimidation involving the use of thugs and disruption of campaign activities in Ado-Ekiti, Ikole and Oye local government areas, warning that such incidents could undermine voter confidence and public trust in the electoral process.

The group further alleged that some political opponents had been detained by the police using Form K, without recourse to the judiciary.

“The pre-election information environment is increasingly plagued by misinformation, disinformation and inflammatory political communication, particularly across digital platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, TikTok and X (Twitter),” it said.

According to the group, unverified claims have circulated that a political party plans to use cloned PVCs to secure a predetermined number of votes, a development it said has fuelled confusion and heightened political tension ahead of the election.