Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre
Some Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) have warned that moneybags, especially during the elections, are threatening to destroy the integrity of elections in Nigeria and therefore the democracy.
The CSOs, which include Independent Election Observers, HEDA Resource Center, and party candidates, said, shortly after the governorship election in Ekiti State, that there is urgent need to halt the spread of deep influence of money in the electoral processes as a way of, among other things, reducing hunger in the land.
This is coming against the background of some arrests by officers of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) during the governorship election, which results were announced today by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The EFCC Officials reportedly arrested an Agent of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for alleged vote-buying while another agent of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was picked up based on a tip-off. The reports have it that the Commission arrested them and some other party leaders for alleged vote-buying in the gubernatorial elections.
The agents were nabbed at the polling unit located at Ola Oluwa Grammar School, Ilawe road, Ado Ekiti.
Speaking on the incidences, the chairman of HEDA, Olanrewaju Suraju, commended EFCC for swiftly arresting agents of political parties who were caught in the web of committing election malpractices.
Suraju urged the anti-graft agency to ensure it prosecutes not only those caught but their masters.
“We commend EFCC for swift actions at the Ekiti elections. We demand full prosecution of everyone involved in vote buying or any other form of electoral fraud and malpractices.”
He encouraged citizens to stay put and monitor the whole process as well as assist EFCC and other security agencies in the fight against vote buying among other electoral malpractices.
“Nigerians are getting more enlightened politically as days turns weeks and weeks into months and so on.
“We have also observed that electorates are getting emboldened to withstand any form of intimidation from any person. We encourage citizens to monitor the whole process, be vigilant and report any form of acts capable of truncating the people’s choice. We expect people’s vote to count at the end of collation.”
