Justifying the cancellation of Southern Ijaw LGA elections, INEC posited that there were glaring
cases of electoral malpractices characterized by ballot snatching, thuggery and violence.
Speaking further, Governor Fayose described INEC under the present APC government as the
champion of electoral malpractices, saying «INEC, security agencies need to purge themselves of all these putrid behaviours and face the reality of modern day democracy.
The police would rather arrest and prosecute the
victims of electoral malpractices and violence while releasing the actual aggressors due to the relationship of these offenders to the government in power.
Susan Hyde points out that even semi-democratic countries invite election observation, despite the risk of international criticism, in part because refusing observers is taken as an
admission of electoral malpractice.
True,
cases of electoral malpractices were on the decline in the Anambra election, complaints about the monetisation of votes, reported in the last Ondo governorship election, reappeared.