Stakeholders in the electoral sector have called for sensitisation of citizens, especially at the grassroots and schools to curb vote buying ahead of 2023.
The stakeholders made the call at the “Policy Dialogue on Addressing Vote Trading in Nigeria: Lessons from Comparative Experiences”, organised by the Electoral Forum in Abuja.
Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege, Senate Deputy President, represented by his Chief of Staff, Otive lgbuzor, said vote buying had become a common phenomenon in Nigeria’s political system.
According to him, vote buying has brought negative consequences to the country’s electoral system.
Omo-Agege said vote trading was primarily driven by material context and immediate circumstances such as economic hardship, fear of intimidation and violence.
“Trading on votes harms democracy, also discourages and dissuades honest people from entering politics because electoral success becomes associated with dishonest and unethical practices.
“Since vote trading mostly relies on huge financial outlay, it provides a ready excuse for fraud and embezzlement and can lead to widespread corruption in the public sector,” he said.
The deputy senate president said that voters and contestants should be sensitised to stem the ugly behaviour.
He said it needed sustained information campaigns, community action and locally enforceable public commitments to collectively shun vote-buying.
According to him, punitive sanctions are more likely to be successful than moralistic pleas.
“Political actors who buy votes should face stringent consequences,” he said.
Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said that the commission was using lessons from recent elections to understudy vote buying and engage relevant stakeholders to tackle it.
Yakubu, represented by INEC’s National Commissioner, Mrs May Agbamuche-Mbu, said that the commission would intensify its voter education and sensitise the people more to dangers of vote buying.
“Yes, we all know vote buying is linked to poverty but I think also that as soon as people begin to have faith in the electoral process, they will see the power that they have over those who are running for politics.
“I believe that soon the story will change and the power will return to the people,” he said.
Also, Prof. Adebayo Olukoshi, Chairman, The Electoral Forum, said that money in politics was a global challenge, especially insidious and criminal money which was very difficult to trace.
“Therefore, other democracies around the world have moved away from elimination to regulation of the use of money in politics to ensure that it does not corrupt the integrity of electoral process.
He said this ultimately allowed the electorate to exercise their choice in selection of those who presided over their national affairs.
He said that the stakeholders were drawn from political parties, civil societies and key institutions involved directly or indirectly with the electoral administration to chart way forward in tackling vote buying ahead of 2023.
Also, Chairman, House Committee on Electoral Matter, Aisha Dukku, said that vote buying remained a major threat to credible, free and fair elections.
Dukku therefore, stressed the need not to delay in addressing vote buying and selling, aimed at enhancing electoral accountability and integrity.
”This can jeopardise the 2023 polls, judging by the happenings arising from the recent concluded governorship elections and party primaries.
“In truth, if electoral offences commission is established to focus on specific objectives like the ICPC and the EFCC, it will have investigative and prosecutorial power to address the issues of impunity that is undermining electoral integrity.
”We should therefore, create awareness about electoral offences, sanctions and deterrence as well as promote dialogue among diverse electoral stakeholders,” she said.
Dukku stressed that establishing an electoral offences commission was needed to sanitise electoral process as done in other best practices.
