The African Democratic Congress governorship candidate in Osun State, Najeem Salaam, on Saturday reported that his party agents were not given tags or recognised at polling units in about 10 local governments, after he voted at Ward 4, Unit 13, in Ejigbo, his hometown.
Salaam said the names of the agents had been uploaded on the Independent National Electoral Commission platform, making their absence from polling units an issue in the conduct and monitoring of the governorship election.
The complaint came as voting was taking place in Ejigbo and other parts of Osun State. Salaam said the issue had already been reported to the relevant authorities, who were looking into it, but said ADC agents needed to be recognised before the counting of votes.
Agent tags become an election issue
Salaam said the problem was recorded in his home area and in about 10 local governments. He gave Ward 5 in Ejigbo as one location where ADC agents were not given tags.
He said the party had complied with the requirement to submit the names of its agents through the INEC platform. The failure to provide tags, he said, meant that some of the party’s representatives could not be formally recognised at the polling units.
“Despite the fact that we uploaded all the names of our party agents, especially here in Ejigbo, the agents in Ward 5 for the ADC were not given tags,” Salaam said.
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The candidate, a former Speaker of the Osun State House of Assembly, said he had taken the issue to the appropriate authorities. He said the authorities were examining the matter.
Salaam also said the presence of party agents was necessary when votes were counted. He maintained that ADC could not accept a situation in which its representatives were not recognised at polling units.
“All the names were uploaded onto the INEC platform, so I don’t understand why we are now being denied the opportunity to have our party agents present,” he said.
Candidate reports calm in Ejigbo
Apart from the agent issue, Salaam said voting in Ejigbo Local Government had proceeded without a crisis as of the time of his assessment.
He said he hoped the peaceful conduct would continue until voting ended. His comments came after he cast his ballot near Ward 4, Unit 13, in Ejigbo.
Salaam said the issue of agent recognition was part of the preparations made for the election. He questioned why tags were not provided after political parties had been asked to submit their agents’ names.
He said the absence of recognised ADC agents could affect the party’s ability to monitor proceedings at polling units and observe the counting of votes.
“If, at the end of the day, we do not have this, then the process becomes very questionable,” he said.
Salaam said he would wait until the election process was completed before deciding whether to speak publicly about the matter again. He said he might address the press towards the end of the exercise and inform the public of the progress made on the issue.
The ADC candidate also said he believed he could win if the election was conducted fairly, without rigging or manipulation, and with equal treatment for the contestants.
“For now, I will remain silent on it until we get to the end of the whole exercise,” he said.
He expressed confidence that a fair election and a level playing field would give him a chance of victory.
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