A civic organisation, BudgIT Foundation, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to tackle vote-buying in Saturday’s governorship election.
It made the call during a one-day dialogue session on election integrity and accountability in Osogbo.
Its Programme Manager, Henry Omokhaye, urged INEC and EFCC to develop a collaborative framework for effective monitoring of political parties’ campaign funds to effectively curb electoral fraud, including vote-buying.
He tasked stakeholders to ensure that the laws against vote trading are implemented.
“Civil society groups should advocate and apply pressure on police and other law enforcement agencies to arrest, investigate and diligently prosecute those involved in the act of vote trading.
Read Also: Vote-buying will not determine winner, says APP candidate
“Media and civil society organisations need to intensify voter education and enlightenment campaigns on the negative implications of vote-trading – particularly on how it raises the costs of elections, promotes political corruption and undermines good governance,” he said.
According to gsdrc.org, vote-buying is a widespread phenomenon and is usually viewed as a purely economic exchange in which the voter sells his or her vote to the highest bidder.
It adds: “In offering money, goods, or services there are three ways in which givers might hope to get recipients to vote, or not to vote, for a particular candidate.
“First, givers might hope to produce instrumental compliance. If successful, recipients change their electoral behaviour in exchange for tangible rewards.
“Second, givers may hope to generate normative compliance. If successful, recipients change their electoral behaviour because the offer convinces them of the goodness or worthiness of the candidate.
“Third, givers may hope to generate coercive compliance by bullying recipients into changing their electoral behaviour. If successful, recipients fear retribution if they decline the offer.
“To recipients, the act of accepting an offer may hold a variety of meanings. It might constitute making a contract, securing amends, receiving a gift, accepting an auction bid, recognising power, compromising one’s principles, acknowledging goodwill, or more.
“In accepting or rejecting offers, or in changing or not changing their electoral behaviour, recipients may be acting, among other things, out of fear, duty, indignity, gratitude, righteousness, or calculated self-interest.”