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The issue of vote buying has become a major blot in our democratic march if the monetisation of the electoral process in the ongoing party primaries is anything to go by. It is in a bid to stop the electoral infraction that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has resolved to collaborate with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to end vote buying in future elections in the country.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, who revealed the development to party leaders, traditional rulers and other stakeholders in a meeting in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, ahead of the June 18 gubernatorial poll in the state, vowed that the electoral umpire would work together the two anti-graft agencies to ensure that the emerging vote buying culture is done away with. Yakubu also assured that the commission would not tolerate any incident of vote buying in the forthcoming coming elections in Ekiti and Osun states as observed in the ongoing party primaries across the country.
The INEC boss used the occasion to harp on the need for a credible, free and fair poll in the country in 2023. We agree with Yakubu that the only important condition for a credible election is for it to be free, fair, transparent, and peaceful, and urge him to honestly walk his talk. Although the INEC Chairman specifically spoke in reference to the June 18 governorship election in Ekiti State, we advise him to ensure that there will be no vote buying in Osun gubernatorial poll scheduled for July 16 and subsequent elections in the country. It is a promise that must be kept.
The Commission had issued a similar warning during the February 12, area council election in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). It had then warned political parties to shun vote buying or face the full weight of the law. Despite that warning, the poll witnessed voter inducement among other electoral infractions.
No doubt, voting buying has become a disturbing feature in Nigeria’s nascent democratic experiment with its attendant consequences. It has become a major issue in party primaries and other elections. Vote buying has heightened the monetization of the electoral process where the highest bidder gets the trophy. Unfortunately, in virtually all the ongoing party primaries, there were allegations of vote buying and inducement of the delegates. Sadly, only a few political parties can be exonerated from obscene practice.
At the recent presidential primary of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the influence of money in the exercise was reportedly overwhelming. The money bazaar was so pervasive and nauseating that some notable aspirants withdrew from the exercise. In the same vein, the primaries conducted by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other political parties for various offices were also tainted by vote buying and other electoral malpractices. It is no longer news that political parties and candidates buy votes at general elections, depending on their capacity. In the last Osun and Anambra governorship elections, there were serious allegations of vote buying.
In the November 2021 Anambra governorship poll in particular, a woman was known to have rejected a monetary inducement of N5,000 from a particular political party for her vote. This is why the INEC initiative to counter the disturbing trend is commendable. Vote buying has the tendency of corrupting the electoral process and throw up wrong candidates. It is a criminal offence. It affects the sanctity and credibility of the electoral process. With wrong candidates emerging as winners, the country suffers. Vote buying is one of the ugly outcomes of our new democracy. INEC should therefore not look back in liaising with security agencies to stop the criminal act.
However, beyond working with the anti-graft agencies, INEC should go further by invoking relevant legislations against the inimical electoral practice aimed at punishing the offenders. Let the Commission carry along the National Assembly and the State Houses of Assembly in fashioning out necessary legislations against the evil practice.
There is the need to educate the electorate on the dangers of selling their votes. Let them be made to understand that selling their votes amounts to trading off their rights to choose who governs or represents them. The political education department of the commission and other relevant organs charged with public enlightenment need to rise up to the occasion, as part of the preparations for the 2023 elections. The electoral umpire should work with the police to ensure that the vote buyers and sellers are apprehended and brought to book.
