Vote buying has become such an obscene trend in Nigerian elections that calls are getting strident on how to tackle it. Much as Nigerian elections seem to be getting better, the menace hobbles the balloting process and tends to undermine its legitimacy. For instance, despite the general perception that the recent Osun and Ekiti state governorship polls marked an improvement in the processes of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), those elections witnessed rampant vote merchandising that security operatives had a tough time curtailing. Even the recent primaries by political parties to select their torchbearers in the 2023 general election were bedevilled by vote buying.
The Electoral (Amendment) Act 2022 has provisions illegitimising the abuse of voter cards and voting rights. Section 21 under Part I of the law vests the proprietary right on every voter card in INEC, while Section 22 makes it an offence if anyone (a) “is in unlawful possession of any voter card;” or (b) “sells, or attempts to sell, or offers to sell any voter card;” or (c) “buys or offers to buy any voter card, whether on his own behalf or on behalf of any other person.” This subsection stipulates liability upon conviction to N500,000 fine or two-year imprisonment, or both. Under Part VII of the same Act dealing with electoral offences, Section 117 stipulates that any person who, being entitled to a voter card, gives out the card for illegitimate purposes or has in his possession without lawful excuse more than one voter card commits an offence and is liable on conviction to N1,000,000 fine or 12-month imprisonment, or both.
These provisions, however, haven’t deterred vote traders going by recent trends. Owing to increased use of technology by INEC, traditional avenues of electoral heist like ballot stuffing, ballot box snatching and results alteration have been blocked, and political gladiators seem to have shifted to suborning voters in efforts to crookedly impact electoral outcomes. It was the obscenity of the trend that apparently moved Akwa Ibom State Resident Electoral Commissioner Mike Igini to propose a life ban on any politician or political party caught in the act.
Speaking on a breakfast television show last week, Igini lamented that vote buying had assumed an epidemic proportion requiring urgent attention. He warned that the practice has huge implications if not immediately checked, saying: “The first implication of vote buying is that it negates performance politics because the normal thing is that when an incumbent has performed, he should be rewarded in the next election on account of performance. But if vote buying is not dealt with right away, there will be no performance anymore because all you need do is keep money somewhere to buy the votes. Secondly, vote buying if not stopped, reinforces inequality in the society because it would be the case of only the rich and the wealthy. It will also lead to what is called class biased policies. When you allow vote buying to thrive, you are going to flood the society with inequality of public franchise.” Citing examples of prominent democracies like the United Kingdom, United States and Australia that had the challenge but dealt heavy-handedly to stop the trend, he proposed stiff penalty of life ban for anyone caught and the political party represented.
Igini’s proposal has its merits considering the seeming intractability of the challenge. But since this would require fresh tinkering with the legal framework, with all the bottlenecks associated, how about firmly enforcing extant provisions? Despite reported arrests of vote merchandisers during the Ekiti and Osun polls, for instance, no suspect has been brought to book. When arrested suspects are not penalised, potential culprits won’t be dissuaded from toeing same line.
Also last week, INEC’s Lagos State REC Olusegun Agbaje tasked the National Assembly on speedy passage of the National Electoral Offences Commission and Tribunal Bill to check vote buying. Since there’s a difficulty presently with prosecuting offenders given the snail pace of conventional courts and preoccupation of INEC with other tasks in election management, we fully support this call. Otherwise, an offence that isn’t promptly punished is one bound to recur.