Commission (INEC), says elections in Nigeria are “getting better”
He stated this on Tuesday in Keffi, Nasarawa State at a dialogue organised
by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission
(ICPC), with the theme: ‘Anti-corruption Policy Dialogue on Eradicating
Electoral Corruption: Focus on Vote Buying’.
According to Yakubu, the commission had put mechanisms in place to check
politicians who intend to manipulate the process. He also stressed the
need for the prosecution of sponsors of vote buying.
Festus Okoye, National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter
Education, who represented the INEC Chairman at the event, said: “You can
see that our elections are getting better and the politicians are getting
more desperate. And these accounts for some of the challenges we have.
“It is evident that the innovations and improvements in our electoral
processes since 2010 have somehow put a check on ballot box snatching,
ballot box stuffing, multiple voting or falsification of results,
diversion of election materials, hijack of election personnel,
falsification of election results and violations of the electoral laws
have become considerably addressed.
“As votes start to count, as the elections are determined solely by the
electoral votes, politicians now go directly to the polling units to
induce the voters. And I say that the votes are beginning to count.
“Voter inducement before and after voting is manifested in two ways. First
is the attempt by politicians and their agents to determine the choice of
voters by offering them monetary or material rewards. Second is the
attempt by prospective voters to demand such gratification in order to
vote.
“INEC is concerned about the impact of vote buying and vote selling on our
democracy. Vote buying and selling is an illegal act. Sponsors of vote
buying and selling must be brought to book and not only those that are
given instructions to do so.
“In response to these challenges, INEC has adopted the following measures:
changing and enhancing the secrecy of votes through polling unit
management and locating the voting unit boxes outside for the view of
party agents and the voters.”
On the importance of the dialogue, he added: “You will recall that in my
speech during the presentation of the certificate of return to the
President-elect and the Vice-President-elect on February 27, 2019, I
emphasized the need for a national dialogue on various aspects of our
electoral democracy.
“Indeed, such a dialogue is required to nurture and sustain our democracy.
And it is my hope that this dialogue will be the beginning of concerted
efforts towards democratic consolidation in our dear country.
“The use of inducement to gather votes is an old and recurring practice
across the world. Such inducements which are often deployed to influence
voters on how they vote, range from money to material goods and defers
from one country to another. Items such as vehicle parts, chairs,
wristwatches, textile materials, shirts, buckets, cements, rice, and
cooking oil are used for inducement.
“Medications and mobile phones have become ready currencies in the
transactional relationships that have developed between the voters and the
political class. In recent times, the use of money to induce voters or to
buy votes especially within the vicinity of polling units has come under
intense public scrutiny.
“Agents of political parties now stand at strategic locations around our
polling units to see which party a voter has voted for, either directly or
through a picture of the marked ballot paper as evidence for payment.
“Here in Nigeria, 69 per cent of respondents acknowledged receiving money
or items such as rice, seasoning cubes, shirts, plastic buckets and
textile materials in exchange for their votes in two governorship
elections in 2014 and 2015.
“Indeed, in one of the governorship elections and other subsequent
elections, such practices were referred to as stomach infrastructure. It
has now become famous terminology in our political vocabulary. The way at
which this act has undertaken has turned our polling unites into trading
centers and market places for buying and selling of votes.”
In his remarks, Bolaji Owasanoye, the ICPC Chairman, said: “The lCPC looks
forward to collaboration with INEC to intensify enforcement of provisions
of the Electoral Act dealing with electoral offences. Only collaboration
with INEC can remove the legal hamstring such as is found in section 149
and 150 of the Electoral Act.”