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From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The National Peace Committee (NPC) has asked security agencies to ensure perpetrators of vote-buying during last Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State are investigated, prosecuted and brought to justice.
NPC Chairman, Abdulsalami Abubakar, made the call in a statement issued in Abuja.
Abubakar said the practice of vote-buying undermined the values which underpinned the democratic life of the country.
“We strongly decry the incidence of vote-buying recorded during the election and urge the security agencies to ensure investigations are conducted, that all perpetrators of this anti-democratic act are prosecuted and brought to justice with the provisions in the electoral law.
“The practice of vote-buying undermines the values which underpin our democratic life. It reduces the privileged selection of those who steward our commonwealth through our electoral processes, as being transactional. We must hold to account all who would muddy the springs from which we as a people seek to drink from collectively by such actions of bribery, both the giver and receiver.”
Abubakar, however, said with the official announcement of the results in the Ekiti State off-cycle governorship elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the NPC congratulates the good people of Ekiti State on their peaceful conduct during the election.
“We want to particularly thank the people of Ekiti for the turnout recorded during the election, despite recent increasing levels of insecurity. Your commitment to fulfilling your civic responsibilities by casting your votes in a peaceful and orderly manner, sets an example for your compatriots in the upcoming Osun State governorship election and Nigeria as we move towards the general election in 2023.
“While the elections were not devoid of hitches, we commend the efforts of all stakeholders who have tirelessly worked either as ombudsmen or observers or participants to ensure the elections were conducted according to the rules. These include INEC and security agencies for facilitating an electoral process, where people were not disenfranchised because of their party affiliation, gender, religious or ethnic affiliations and/or disability.
“The media, civil society organisations, and international development partners for their tireless efforts in monitoring and reporting on the process in a transparent and unbiased manner. We commend the political parties and their respective candidates for yielding to the call for a peaceful election in Ekiti State by respecting the provisions of the Electoral Act as well as cooperating with the various institutions of state saddled with their implementation,” Abubakar said.
The NPC urged winner of the election, Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, of the All Progressives Congress to be magnanimous in victory by collaborating with the citizens of Ekiti State, especially his co-contestants, in the governance process of the state for the benefit of Ekiti’s sons and daughters, both home and abroad.
“We call on him and his political party to eschew triumphalism that may make peace-building quite difficult after what at sometimes was a fractiously fought election, because the values and goals of democratic governance are not a zero-sum game, but the continued development of an egalitarian society. In the same way, we urge those who may be disappointed by the outcome of the exercise, to use the available constitutional channels to express their grievances, ensuring the rule of law dictates our collective actions as a people,” Abubakar said.
