2023: INEC decries vote buying, says it destroys election credibility

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  • IGP vows to deal with perpetrators

BY BENEDICT NWACHUKWU, ABUJA

The Independent National Electoral Commission, has said the influence of money on the forthcoming general election will destroy the very basis of democratic elections as it renders the emergence of the right candidates for positions extremely difficult, undermines fair electoral adjudication, and destroys the professional and independent conduct of INEC officials and other public agencies involved in elections.

The INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, stated this Monday at a one-day stakeholders’ summit on addressing the influence of money in the 2023 general election held in Abuja.

The INEC boss said, “We are gathered here today to address a matter of serious concern to most Nigerians. The negative role of money in elections goes to the very heart of our democracy. It destroys the very basis of democratic elections which is that citizens should freely choose those who exercise power on their behalf. It renders the emergence of the right candidates for positions extremely difficult, undermines fair electoral adjudication, and destroys the professional and independent conduct of INEC officials and other public agencies involved in elections.

“Even more worrisome is the high prospect that criminal money may find its way into our elections through money laundering. Above all, the pernicious use of money tremendously increases the likelihood of election violence due to a “win at all costs” mentality among contestants who would have invested a fortune in election. Surely, election is not a business venture for profit. Instead, it is an application to serve the people with the understanding that they may prefer someone else on one occasion. But then, there would be an opportunity to reapply after four years. Citizens’ choices must never be subverted by the negative use of money.

“Understandably, many Nigerians have demanded to know from INEC what the Commission is doing about the deleterious influence of money in elections, particularly the diabolical purchase of Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) from voters ahead of the election and vote buying at Polling Units on Election Day. Over the years, we introduced a number of measures, including the slight reconfiguration of our Polling Units to bring the ballot boxes closer to the voting cubicles to discourage the exposure of the marked ballot papers by voters to vote buyers. We also banned the use of smart phones and photographic devices by voters in the voting cubicles. Yet, these measures have recorded limited success.”

Yakubu disclosed that the Commission has commenced yet another initiative to sanitise and strengthen the country’s electoral process. “We believe that in dealing with the corruption of our elections by money, the Commission cannot do it alone. To succeed, we must mobilise every relevant national institution to support our effort. We must rely on the professional and other capacities of cognate agencies in our determination to improve electoral administration in Nigeria. That is why we appreciate the collaboration with the Police, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as well as the regulatory bodies such as the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) and the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON). We welcome the assurances of full collaboration, commitment and partnership of these agencies to credible elections based on their statutory responsibilities. We look forward to their initial ideas about how to deal with the problem when they address us shortly.”

He noted that the Commission is aware that legal provisions and the actions of the agencies are critical but will not be enough to completely root out the deep-seated cancer of corrupt money in our elections and added that the concerted actions of citizens are crucial. “Citizens must reject inducements to sway their votes through vote buying. They must also engage effectively in stopping the negative use of money in our electoral process generally by reporting cases to INEC and other agencies. In addition, civil society organisations should make this a major plank of both their pre-election and election observation activities. Financial institutions, religious organisations, traditional institutions, the media, civic bodies and, above all, citizens must also join in this fight.

“Let me seize this opportunity to remind the public that the ban on cell phones at voting cubicles is still in force. We have for some time now reorganised our Polling Units so that ballot boxes are placed next to the voting cubicles to forestall the practice by unscrupulous voters of showing their marked ballot papers to vote buyers. We appeal to voters to draw the attention of our polling officials wherever they observe that these basic rules are not complied with.”

Reiterating the Commission’s commitment to conducting a free, fair, transparent and credible elections next year, Yakubu said, “Let me once again reassure Nigerians that we are determined to ensure a solid election management system and a legacy of credible elections in Nigeria. We believe that every conscientious Nigerian wants us to do so. As a Commission, we harbour no illusion that it is going to be easy to root out the negative influence of money on our elections, but we are determined to tackle it.

“We fully realise that today’s initiative will not go down well with people who may not be committed to the growth of our electoral system and the consolidation of our democracy. We expect them to fight back. There will be both covert and overt pressure, countervailing actions and even threats by these vested interests. I wish to reiterate that our loyalty is to Nigeria and our allegiance is to Nigerians. We are committed to working with the collaborating agencies to see that this initiative succeeds in the 2023 General Election and beyond.

“Let me reiterate the Commission’s resolve to continue to employ both technology and administrative measures to strengthen Nigeria’s electoral process. I assure Nigerians that preparation for the 2023 General Election is on course and we shall not be swayed from that course. Be assured that the BVAS has come to stay. Electronic transmission of results has come to stay. Public display of Polling Unit results through the IReV has come stay. With today’s initiative, the elimination of the negative use of money in our electoral process will be tackled head-on.

“I would like to appreciate the Nigeria Police and other security and safety agencies, the ICPC, the EFCC, the NBC and ARCON for their support and partnership. I would similarly like to appreciate the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), political parties, civil society organisations, trade unions, professional bodies, financial institutions and all our invited guests for honouring our invitation and for standing by INEC in our shared commitment to credible elections in Nigeria. We also extend our appreciation to the MacArthur Foundation and Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) for their partnership and support.

AIG Bala Ciroma who represented the Inspector General of Police said, “Apart from electoral violence, thuggery and snatching of ballot boxes, one key issue affecting the credibility of elections in Nigeria today is the use of money to try and tilt the outcome of the elections, with consequential negative effects.

“Some politicians spend huge sums of money to get elected to office. Thus, their priority in the office having been elected is to recoup the money they spent during the election.

“The consequence of this is that those elected provide poor governance and deny the public the benefit of good governance, as they most likely are not the best candidates.”

He lamented that the use of money to influence the political process has so far manifested in the current litigations within members of some political party and in some cases, intra-party violence.

He disclosed that extant laws and statutes have made provisions for monitoring the sources of income for political parties, expenditure and sanction for the violation. “These are enshrined in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigerian and the electoral Act 2022 (as amended).”

Citing the sections of the Constitution and Electoral Act 2022, the Police Boss said concerted efforts are being made by the Nigeria police as the lead agency in electoral security management to ensure that the use of money is not allowed to influence the 2023 general elections or at least ensure that this menace is brought to the barest minimum.

“We will achieve this in synergy with sister security agencies, anti-graft and intelligence agencies and other stakeholders. ”

He emphatically stated, “the use of money during the 2023 elections is unacceptable and we will do all we can within the confines of the law to bring offending persons to book.

“Therefore, all hands are on deck and all the relevant security agencies are in synergy on this. W e intend to provide a conducive atmosphere for the conduct of free, fair, transparent and credible elections”

In his contributions, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, Bawa Abdullahi, warned that vote buying has become a major obstacle to free, fair and credible election in Nigeria.

He said it has become a question of a proverbial hungry child who traded his future for immediate satisfaction of his hunger. He said rather the act has consistently witnessed the continuous exploitation of a large section of the society by politicians who succeed in cajoling the vulnerable electorates to trade their votes for a paltry sum, temporary benefit and or unfulfilled promises.

“The vulnerable have continued to remain oblivious of the consequences of vote selling. They fail to realise that when they sell their votes, they also give up their future and rights to demand for transparency and accountability from the elected leaders. They sell their future and that of their children for an insignificant and grossly undervalued sum.”

The anti-graft boss stated that the EFCC have remained focused and committed to enhancing it’s preventive mandate by instituting measures targeted at safeguarding the system including prevention of vote buying and influence in electoral processes though covert and overt surveillance at polling units.