The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Vote buying

  • INEC worried over rising cases of vote buying

    The Independent National Electoral Commission  ( INEC ) has expressed worries over rising cases of vote buying during elections by political parties.

    The commission accused politicians who could not subvert its administrative processes had resulted to vote buying and selling.

    National Commissioner and Head of Legal Services, INEC, Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, said this at the public presentation of Election Monitor’s (EM) observation report on Ekiti governorship election, in Abuja, on Monday.

    Mrs. Agbamuche-Mbu said INEC will work with relevant stakeholders to curb the practice.

    She said:“The commission is deeply concerned about the rising phenomenon of vote buying during elections and is determined to continue to work with all stakeholders, law enforcement agencies and the judiciary among others to find solutions to this menace.

    “Our own administrative processes can no longer be subverted. Vote buying therefore is the only way to subvert the integrity of an election.

    “Indeed as part of this process and in conjunction with the European Union Centre for Electoral Support (ECES), INEC legal officers across the country, together with selected police officers will be trained over the next three months on the prosecution of electoral offences.

    “We will also intensify voter education as this damaging trend has got to be stopped in its tracks.”

    She said it was the responsibility of INEC to prosecute electoral offenders, including those involved in buying and selling votes as well as announcement of false results as stipulated in its Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).

    She however added that the commission lacked the powers to investigate and arrest offenders.

    “There are several provisions of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, criminalising bribery and corruption relating to voting during elections, including Sections 124, 126, 129 and 130.

    “INEC has continued to perfect its processes and has closed all loopholes. Results cannot now be written and neither can ballot boxes be gainfully snatched as the results will automatically be cancelled,” she added.

    National Coordinator, EM, Abiodun Ajijola, urged the commission to find solution to vote buying before the conduct of Osun state governorship elections in September.

    He commended INEC on increased use of card readers in Ekiti governorship election.

    “Vote buying needs to be stopped. It will be very sad if what happened in Ekiti is repeated in Osun governorship elections in September,” he added.

  • Ekiti governorship poll: Police arraign 10 for vote-buying

    The police on Friday arraigned tens persons before an Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrate’s Court for their alleged involvement in vote- buying during last Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State.

    Police prosecutor Femi Fa³ade to³d the court that they allegedly offered money to voters to induce them to vote for their parties at the poll.

    Falade said the offence contravened Section 130 (a) and 130 (b) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).

    The accused persons are Olowosile Eunice, Ajayi Modupe, Ayodele Omolara, Suliat Habib, Udoh Anthony, Oyebola Kemi, Roseline Tunde, Odunayo Toyin and Babalola Esther.

    Falade said that the accused persons and others at large, whose addresses were not disclosed in court ýcommitted the offence on July 13 at Ojaoba shopping complex in Ado-Ekiti.

    He alleged that Olowosile Eunice, did corruptly offered money to other accused persons to unduly influence them to vote for her political party during the July 14, governorship election in Ekiti State.

    He also alleged that, Ajayi Modupe and other accused persons, being voters, did corruptly accept money from Olowosile Eunice to vote at the Ekiti State Governorship Election held on July 14, 2018.

    The prosecutor asked the court for an adjournment to enable him study the case file and assemble his witnesses.

    The defendants pleaded not guilty.

    The defence counsel,  Mr Chris Omokhafe,  ýurged the court to grant the defendants bail, promising that they would not jump bail.

    The Chief Magistrate, Mr Adesoji Adegboye, in his ruling granted the defendants bail in the sum of N50,000 with one surety each in like sum.

    The case was adjourned till August 9 for hearing.

  • 10 docked for vote buying in Ekiti

    The police in Ekiti State on Friday arraigned 10 persons before an Ado-Ekiti Chief Magistrate’s Court for alleged vote buying during last Saturday’s governorship election in the state.

    Police prosecutor Femi Fałade told the court that the accused persons offered money to voters to induce them to vote for their parties during the election.

    The action, according to him, contravened Section 130 (a) and 130 (b) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).

    The accused persons were – Olowosile Eunice, Ajayi Modupe, Ayodele Omolara, Suliat Habib, Udoh Anthony, Oyebola Kemi, Roseline Tunde, Odunayo Toyin and Babalola Esther.

    Falade said the accused persons and others at large ‎committed the offence on July 13 at Ojaoba shopping complex in Ado-Ekiti.

    He alleged that Olowosile corruptly offered money to other accused persons to unduly influence them to vote for her political party during the election.

    Falade also alleged that Ajayi and other accused persons accepted money from Olowosile to vote during the election.

    The prosecutor asked the court for adjournment to enable him study the case file and assemble his witnesses.

    The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge and their lawyer, Mr. Chris Omokhafe,  ‎urged the court to grant them bail, promising that they would not jump bail.

    The Chief Magistrate, Mr. Adesoji Adegboye, granted each defendant bail in the sum of N50,000 with one surety each in like sum.

    He adjourned the case till August 9 for hearing.

  • CSOs deplore vote buying in Ekiti

    TWO civil society organisations (CSOs), Situation Room and Centre for Transparency Advocacy (CTA), yesterday called for legislative action and stricter law enforcement to curb vote buying.

    In its interim statement on the Ekiti State Governorship election, Situation Room said vote buying was “widespread”.

    It said the two major political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), were culpable.

    Situation Room said field reports from its observers and other partner election observer networks showed that in some cases, the location and positioning of the polling booths and ballot boxes contributed to the non-secrecy of the ballot and vote buying.

    The Situation Room comprises over 70 civil society organisations working in support of credible and transparent elections in Nigeria.

    At a briefing in Ado-Ekiti by its Convener Mr. Clement Nwankwo, Situation Room said: “The major political parties were very much culpable in this breach.

    “The widespread nature and brazenness of vote buying by political parties and candidates create a dent on the outcome of any election and raise concern that Nigeria’s electoral process is being monetised with impunity.”

    CTA expressed concern that the rising cases of vote buying that trailed recently conducted governorship polls in some states of the federation was capable of destroying Nigeria’s democracy.

    Its Executive Director, Dr. Chima Amadi, whose body deployed 62 election observers to monitor the election, said both major parties and insignificant parties participated in cash-for-vote saga.

    Addressing a news conference on Saturday shortly after the poll, Amadi said vote buying would make leaders become irresponsible and unaccountable to the electorate.

    He urged the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to devise measures to tackle the menace to make the electoral process more credible.

  • Rec warns youths against violence, vote buying

    the Ekiti State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Prof. AbdulGaniy Raji, has warned the youths against violence, “vote buying and selling” at the July 14 governorship election.

    Raji also warned them against being used by politicians to attack opponents, voters and electoral officials adding they would be disowned, if arrested by law enforcement agents.

    He expressed dismay that the budget of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was slashed while that of the National Assembly was increased by the federal lawmakers.

    Raji spoke yesterday at a Voter Education Retreat organised by Youngstars Development Initiative, 2Baba Foundation and New Generation for Girls and Women Development (NIGAWD) in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

    The parley tagged “Vote Not Fight: Election No Be War” was also supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Kingdom for International Development (UKAID) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI).

    Youths, who were drawn from the 16 local government areas, promised to take the campaign to their localities to ensure a peaceful poll.

    Raji disclosed that between 60 and 70 per cent of those involved in violence at elections are youths whom he said are induced with money by desperate politicians in a bid to win at all cost.

    He said: “Ekiti is a volatile state, the news being heard outside is that you cannot enter Ekiti. But the perception must change.

    “It has moved from rigging or snatching of electoral materials to vote buying and vote selling. Before, when an election is disrupted, it will be cancelled but that no longer obtains.

    “You do the election again and bring all security agents from elsewhere for such rerun election and you know what that means.

    “With your activities, you can enlighten other youths, technology has been introduced to enhance the electoral process.

    “We have enhanced the software of our machines during the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR).

    “What used to take five to seven minutes now takes one to two minutes and this has enabled us to register over 50,000 new voters during the last CVR.”

    NIGAWD Executive Director Abimbola Aladejare disclosed that a popular musician, Innocent Idibia, a.k.a. 2Face. has been commissioned as Campaign Peace Ambassador and he will perform live in Ado-Ekiti on June 22.

    Aladejare added that the Vote Not Fight campaign will take take the message of peace to political actors, media organizations, transport workers, traditional rulers, religious leaders and other stakeholders.

    Country Director of NDI, Aubrey Cutcheon, urged the youth to show readiness to take leadership roles and not allow themselves to be used as thugs.

    Other speakers at the forum include the Commissioner of Police, Bello Ahmed represented by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ede Ayuba; the State Director of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Dayo Famosaya; state Nigeria Union Journalists (NUJ) Chairman, Rotimi Ojomoyela.

     

  • Vote buying and vote selling

    It’s time for elections. This year, there will be governorship elections in Ekiti State and Osun State. Next year, there will be a general election. What will happen in these elections?  What will not happen? How will voters vote? How will they not vote? Until the elections take place, these are questions that cannot be answered.

    But there is a background that should prepare the public for what may happen. It is noteworthy that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reportedly said it was prepared to make vote buying impossible during the governorship election in Ekiti State scheduled for July 14.

    INEC’s National Commissioner in charge of Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, and Oyo states, Solomon Soyebi, who represented the Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, at a stakeholders’ meeting on the continuous voters’ registration, in Ado Ekiti, said that money was used to influence voters during the last elections in Edo, Ondo and Anambra states.

    “The elections in Edo, Ondo and Anambra states were largely monetised,” Soyebi said. “We are aware of this. It was ‘see and buy,’ but it won’t happen in Ekiti.”

    He also said:  “It was N5, 000 per vote in Ondo and Anambra states. We are working with security agencies not to allow it to happen again. We even seized some cash in Anambra State.”

    Obviously, something needs to be done so that politicians won’t be able to use money to get voters to vote in their favour. Interestingly, Soyebi said: “In Ekiti election, we won’t allow any vehicle to come near the polling units, because the politicians used to keep the money in the boot. With this, it will reduce because politicians can’t carry large amounts in their pockets.”

    Now that INEC has publicised how it intends to check vote buying, it remains to be seen how vote buyers would respond.  It should be expected that those who believe they can always influence voter behaviour with cash would think of ways to beat INEC. So the public should be ready to hear of new vote-buying methods.

    Must politicians buy votes? Must they think of buying votes?  To think of buying votes and to buy votes means that there are people who are ready to sell their votes. You can’t have vote buying without vote selling. So it is not only vote buyers that should be condemned; vote sellers should be equally condemned. After all, it is said that it takes two to tango.