Former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) National Commissioner, Festus Okoye, has accused Nigeria’s political class of undermining credible elections through vote-buying and practices that prevent citizens from freely choosing their leaders.
Okoye said many politicians were more interested in influencing election results than presenting ideas and solutions to issues affecting Nigerians.
He spoke on Tuesday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme.
“I think that the political elite in this country really do not believe in free, fair and transparent elections. They just want to buy the votes of the people. They want to replace the people as the sovereign, and it is very unfortunate.
Okoye said genuine elections should give voters the freedom to make their choices without threats, pressure or interference from any individual or group.
He said, “The mark of a free, fair and transparent election is the ability of the people to go to the polling units to cast their votes without any form of intimidation, without any form of coercion, and without any form of duress.
“But in this country, what we are now having is a situation where political parties have no ideologies, political parties are not campaigning on any issue, all they know is that on election day they will find a way of making sure that the votes of the people really do not count.”
The former commissioner’s remarks come as INEC steps up preparations for the 2027 general elections, including plans to deploy technology to strengthen electoral processes.
On October 6, the commission established a separate Artificial Intelligence Division under its Information and Communications Technology Department. The unit is expected to help identify irregularities and tackle the spread of false information ahead of the elections.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, had also announced that automated artificial intelligence tools were already being used to audit election results during the verification process.
However, Okoye maintained that the introduction of technology into elections must be properly timed to achieve the desired results.
“I think that what is important is for the country to keep on improving and also keep on deploying technology as at when due in our electoral process,” he said.
He called on journalists, civil society organisations and Nigerians to closely monitor political activities throughout the electoral process, rather than concentrating only on election day.
Okoye also praised members of the National Youth Service Corps, ad hoc election personnel and other citizens who support the organisation and conduct of elections.
In another development, Amupitan inaugurated a multi-agency committee on electoral logistics to coordinate preparations for the 2027 polls. He warned that voters must not be prevented from exercising their rights because election materials arrived late.
The INEC chairman also urged the National Orientation Agency to step up public awareness campaigns at the grassroots to discourage voter apathy, vote-buying and electoral violence.
The 2027 general elections are scheduled for January 16 and February 6.
