HEDA Resource Centre and Women Advocates Research and Documentation Centre, two organizations that monitor and observe elections, cautioned voters on Friday against giving up their God-given right to vote in the governorship race for Osun State.
The need to discourage vote-buying was repeatedly emphasized by the Chairman of the HEDA Resource Center, Olanrewaju Suraju, and the Executive Director of the WARDC, Dr. Abiola Akiode-Afolabi. They said the Osun governorship election would be yet another test for Nigeria’s democratic consolidation and citizens’ fidelity to the laws and rules guiding the electoral process.
At a press conference in Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, Suraju and Akiode-Afolabi reiterated their appeal for the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other law enforcement authorities to do more than simply arrest and prosecute party agents who have engaged in vote-buying, “but should also ensure to shine the spotlight on their sponsors.”
They said, “The issue of vote-buying remains about the biggest threat to a credible election in Nigeria and it remains a leading cause for concern as the country edges close to the 2023 General Election.”
Osun voters were urged to “come out en-masse to cast their votes and be part of selecting their own leader for the next four years through a credible electoral process,” according to Suraju and Akiode-Afolabi. This gift from God ought to be respected and not sold. It is a right to exercise, not a thing to be sold. Voting is the right thing to do; selling votes is wrong.
“The implication of vote-buying is far reaching – it makes it difficult to call leaders to account since they paid their ways to the position occupied and beyond that, it affects the economy and living conditions as leaders would have no moral obligation to make life better for the citizens.
“Making public office holders accountable becomes negatively affected where the processes informing their emergence were largely compromised by vote-buying. Under such circumstances, the grip of corruption becomes quick to sight and preventing such becomes a difficult necessity,” they said.
The groups hailed security and anti-graft agencies for heeding the call to stem the tide of vote-buying, saying, “As reported in the news, the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies, including the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, have announced their readiness to man the election with sufficient manpower to forestall any eventualities of vote-buying.
“It was also reported that the deployment of police personnel will be complemented by soldiers and civil defence corps. The Police Force has also promised to deploy the Federal Intelligence Bureau, Tactical Corps and the Special Forces to curb vote-buying. The Inspector-General of Police, Baba Alkali, had warned that the police would not take it lightly with persons or groups seeking to perpetrate vote-buying or any form of inducement in the elections,” they said.
