Weak punitive sanctions against perpetrators of vote-trading and increasing poverty have been responsible for frustrations to the fight against vote-buying and selling in Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission and other key stakeholders in electoral process said on Friday.

They raised the concern during a policy dialogue with the theme, ‘Addressing vote-trading in Nigeria from global comparative experiences’, organised by the Electoral Forum in collaboration with the Open Society Initiative for West Africa and MacArthur Foundation.

The Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, represented by his Chief of Staff, Otive Igbuzor, said that vote-trading had become an unusual democratic experience, which served as a clog in the wheel of free choice and democracy in Nigeria.

According to him, the menace had become a common phenomenon in Nigeria’s political system, which, he said, had brought negative consequences to the country’s electoral system.

While observing that vote-trading only guaranteed limited, elections-bound benefits for a few, but jeopardising the long-term fortunes of the majority, Omo-Agege called for stronger punitive sanctions against perpetrators and sustained information campaigns, community action and locally enforceable public commitments to collectively fight the menace.

He said, “To stem the ugly behaviour, everyone should be involved, both voters and contestants. It needs sustained information campaigns, community action and locally enforceable public commitments to collectively shun vote-buying.

“Punitive sanctions strategies are more likely to be successful than moralistic pleas. Political actors who buy votes should face stringent consequences. Political financing reform, and ensuring election security and ballot secrecy, are equally vital in addressing vote-selling. Most of this was taken care of in the new Electoral Act 2022 passed by the National Assembly and assented to by the president.”

The chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, represented by a National Commissioner, May Agbamuche-Mbu, said the speedy passage of the National Electoral Offences Commission and Tribunal Bill by the National Assembly would checkmate vote-buying.

The INEC boss admitted that poverty was largely responsible for the menace. He, however, expressed confidence that the tide would change soon as Nigerians were beginning to have faith in the electoral process.

Yakubu said, “We are going to intensify voter education and sensitise the people more with regards to vote-buying. People have also talked about poverty. Yes, we all know it’s poverty. But I think also that as soon as people begin to have faith in the electoral process, they will begin to see the power that they have over the people who are running for offices. And I believe that very soon, the story will change and the power will return to the people.”

The chairman of Electoral Forum Chairman, Prof. Bayo Olukoshi, said there had been a global consensus that seeking to eliminate the use of money in politics was almost impossible and waste of time because politicians would find ways to bring the use of money into the political equation.

According to him, democracies around the world had moved away from elimination to regulation of the use of money in politics, in a way to ensuring that the use of money did not corrupt integrity of the electoral process.

Olukoshi said, “So, money in politics is a global challenge, especially criminal money which are unaccounted and very difficult to trace. However, in our context, the debate around the issue of money in politics is again not an entirely new debate for those who are old enough to know the politics of the Second Republic where we saw increasingly the significant role of money as opposed to issues and ideas entering the Nigerian political space.

“But what happened in the 2nd Republic will seem to have been a child’s play compared to what we are dealing with today, in which it is absolutely clear that if you do not have a well-oiled godfather sponsoring you, or you do not have the resources of your own to oil your political machinery, you are not likely regardless of how beautiful your ideologies may be or your record of personal integrity and achievement may be, you are not likely to be able to make a dent on our political system.

“Much more than that is the fact that the use of money has gone beyond simply capturing political parties and structures to infiltrate the wider electorate.”

Speaking on the ‘Socio-political paradox of vote-trading in Nigeria: Focus on the political party primaries and the recent Ekiti and Osun governorship elections’, the immediate past Resident Electoral Commission, Rivers State, Obo Effanga, said the malaise of vote-trading required the involvement of a multiplicity of stakeholders, agencies, and groups to address it.

He traced the root of the menace to the economic imbalance and inequality in Nigeria, which if fixed, according to him, would to a large extent reduce the “number of poor people whose vulnerability currently is such that they can easily be dangled pittance in exchange for their vote.”

Effanga lamented that vote-trading is also aided and abetted by security officials at the polling unit, adding that this could happen either by failure to ensure adequate arrangement to guarantee secrecy of the vote or failure to take steps to prevent those who try to breach the rules.

“The law enforcement agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission must ensure appropriate steps to stem or react to incidents of vote-trading, before, during, and after each election. I am not sure we yet have records of anybody picked or investigated for vote-trading during all the political party primaries this year.

“However, it is also a paradox that those saddled with the responsibility to fix the economy are also the primary beneficiaries of the vote-trade – politicians. Therefore, it would appear that it serves their purpose to keep the economy in shambles in order to sustain the vote-trading market dynamics,” he stated.

On his part, chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission, Bolaji Owasanoye, represented by provost of the Anti-corruption Academy, Prof. Olatunde Babawale, warned that vote-buying has a tendency of frustrating and undermining the war against corruption in Nigeria.

He said the ICPC was working with INEC to tackle the menace.

source: https://punchng.com/why-vote-trading-will-continue-in-nigeria-inec-others/

Fake INEC!
The vote-buyer-in-chief.

Hope una no dey give excuse
To misappropriate votes
Come February?

Ogun will kill all Inec representatives if they ring 2023 election in favour of a sick and unfit candidate.

Hand dey shake , leg dey shake, Baba when not well he dey shout Emilokan

Damnnn niggarrrr
Even the police and other law enforcement officials way want arrest the them dey collect their own share

Do your work

Can't stop laffing


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gvC9k4SXrw

QUESTION

How old was Amoda Ogunlere when he stole the Identity of Late Miss Bola Tinubu in order to travel with her traveling Documents?

ANSWER

87 minus 70 that’s 17 years because the late Bola daughter of Baba Kafaru Tinubu would have been 70years today according to her documents which Amoda now possess as his own. Amoda was 17years when he transformed into Bola Tinubu may her gentle soul Rest In Peace. Amen

And nothing can be done to stop it abi

You mean after Tinubu bought primary election Victory with $$$?. Why not go after those people

Noted.

The looooooong epistle is Needless!...
The reason is simply POVERTY!
The modus operandi of Nig politicians is
# IMPOVERISH AND RULE
but one na one day

Ok

Lol

We go collect their money still vote whoever our heart desires. Its our country's money they embezzled

Vote buying will thrive because of poverty, nothing new. The highest rigger and bribe sharer will win

Real and genuine political analysis would tell you that Tinubu would find things very difficult in the forth coming election.

Look at it this way. Peter Obi for now has already won the entire South east region and nearly the South South region, base on his origin, which is his region first and then his religion. Voters see personal interest first as a key priority of who to vote for. Southerners except the Muslim minorities there are already Obidient.

Tinubu might win his region but not in a large margin, due to the religion difference. But you can't say that about Peter Obi. The entire southeast is already in his pocket. Not to talk of the South South.

Here is the fact, if you would struggle politically in your own religion, it's a sign of your political misfortune. Tinubu of course would struggle in South west due to the religion factor.

Now, if Tinubu is struggling in his own religion how can he dominate the North west of which banking his hope on. Impossible!

The north west would go for Rabiu kwankwaso because of personal interest. Tinubu let alone the APC government can never be trusted. Tinubu would be treated like an orphan in this region. Puting is hope on the APC governor's of the North West region is a waste of effort. No amount of structure can complement for this. North west believe in North first, before anything.

The North East belongs to Atiku Abubakar of PDP. That's his region, yet Tinubu is likely to poll good number of vote from that region, since Atiku Abubakar is not that good in delivering his region massively.

Then the decoder of 2023 election I the middle belt of North Central. The north Central would likely vote on the bases of religion and tribal difference, except Abuja the central capital territory.

Tinubu only chance is to convince Rabiu kwankwaso to step out from the race, of which it would be very different to. If he can erase kwankwaso the he can rely on Bloc vote- North west / South west, then some from North East. But north Central would favour Atiku more than Tinubu.

Brushstrokes20:
The looooooong epistle is Needless!...
The reason is simply POVERTY!
The modus operandi of Nig politicians is
# IMPOVERISH AND RULE
but one na one day

100% fact, that's why they make foolish policies to keep people in poverty

Jestin:
Ogun will kill all Inec representatives if they ring 2023 election in favour of a sick and unfit candidate.

Hand dey shake , leg dey shake, Baba when not well he dey shout Emilokan

.



Na who come fit do am? OBiDIENT right!!!!

ZombieSlayer1:

100% fact, that's why they make foolish policies to keep people in poverty

You're spot on.

Check

Tortedad:
QUESTION

How old was Amoda Ogunlere when he stole the Identity of Late Miss Bola Tinubu in order to travel with her traveling Documents?

ANSWER

87 minus 70 that’s 17 years because the late Bola daughter of Baba Kafaru Tinubu would have been 70years today according to her documents which Amoda now possess as his own. Amoda was 17years when he transformed into Bola Tinubu may her gentle soul Rest In Peace. Amen

If Amoda was 17yrs when he transformed, how old is the said Bola at the time? 0years old?

If vote buying didn't work in osun, I wonder how it will work in general election for someone that relies on it, this is a disgrace for apc it is obvious they are fiding it difficult in osun which is the originated state of their presidential candidate, And for Buhari to use efcc and other law enforcement agencies, its obvious this is what he will do in the general election by staying neutral, apc not having momentum in osun election speaks volume. If apc lost in osun have will sendt signals to sanwo olu and other non performing governors to sit up and perform because they still have a window of 7months to do something before the elections instead of them believing in buying voters, all I want is a good governance in naija.

Tortedad:
QUESTION

How old was Amoda Ogunlere when he stole the Identity of Late Miss Bola Tinubu in order to travel with her traveling Documents?

ANSWER

87 minus 70 that’s 17 years because the late Bola daughter of Baba Kafaru Tinubu would have been 70years today according to her documents which Amoda now possess as his own. Amoda was 17years when he transformed into Bola Tinubu may her gentle soul Rest In Peace. Amen

Yekini Amoda Ogunlere now known as Bola Ahmed Tinubu also known as BOBO Chicago

APC urchins una well done o.

I SELL VIRGIN WHITE/ SILVER AND RED MERCURY CONTACT ME ON: 08109441889, CALL/ WHATSAPP ME THANKS..