The Executive Director, Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), Comrade Idris Miliki has decried 70,000 multiple registrants found in the Kogi voter register by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
He made this known on Tuesday in Lokoja at a one-day Post Primaries Engagement with Political Parties, organised by Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution in Partnership with Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre ( CISLAC) on prioritizing Anti-Corruption and Accountability Issues Towards 2023 Elections. The one-day Engagement is with the support of the MacArthur Foundation.
He noted that the discovery was unfortunate, stressing that INEC should work very hard to correct the situation as he described the improvement in the 2022 amendments as contained in the Electoral Act as a work in progress that must be commended.
He also berated political parties in Nigeria for turning electorates into commodities they can purchase at will.
He stated that while it is unfortunate that political parties are the culprits in vote-buying, the electorates who sell their votes are also culpable as there won’t be buyers if there are no sellers.
Comrade Miliki lauded the new Electoral Act which he pointed out greatly helped in the improvement of the Ekiti Governorship, adding that CHRCR would sustain its Sensitization and engagement with citizens ahead of the 2023 General elections.
While decrying the pitfalls of the nation’s elections owing to vote-buying which according to the CHRCR boss, has taken a new dimension from wholesale buying at the primaries just held across the state to the anticipated retail vote-buying in the coming elections. Com Maliki however, praised the introduction of the BIVAS machine as another improvement in the nation’s electoral system.
The Executive Director described vote-buying and selling as a criminal offence, urging political parties to incorporate Anti-corruption and Accountability Issues towards the 2023 Elections.
Comr. Miliki also noted the need for the inclusion of more vulnerable and marginalized groups throughout the election processes in 2023 as he appealed that when parties engage them in issues-based campaigns, it would go a long way in checking vote-buying.
The various Political parties present at the meeting all made commitments to fighting issues of corruption.
According to parties, they have a document which has been handed over to candidates of the parties who emerged at the Primaries to take a look at corruption issues seriously, alluded to hunger and poverty as reasons for vote-buying and selling.
The project goal of the one-day engagement by CHRCR in partnership with CISLAC is to reduce corruption in Nigeria by bolstering support for Anti-corruption and Social Inclusion amongst critical groups and strengthening policies and programs for anti-corruption at the state level in Nigeria as the country prepares for the general election in 2023.