Ekiti 2022: Look beyond polling units to stop vote-buying, INEC tells security agencies

Ahead of the June 18 governorship election in Ekiti State, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has advocated more efforts and sensitisation from stakeholders for residents to shun any act of financial inducement during the poll.

The commission also called on the security agencies to look beyond the polling units in tracking down those involved in vote-buying on election day, saying areas leading to the voting centre should be adequately monitored in a bid to stop the criminal act.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Niger State, Professor Sam Egwu stated these at the weekend in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital at an event tagged, ‘Policy Dialogue on the Ekiti State Governorship Election: A Litmus Test For Election Administration in Nigeria Under the New Electoral Act, 2022’ organised by The Electoral Institute (TEI) of INEC as part of the commission’s preparation for the conduct of the poll.

Egwu who maintained that there was the possibility of the emergence of vote-buying during the election, said, “As long as Ekiti state continues to be a rural state with a high level of poverty when compared with other states in the South West, the objective conditions of vote-buying and selling are present.

“Because vote-buying and selling happens only when demand and supply sides are present. We need to double our efforts in terms of civic and political education. History of vote-buying happens at the community level and community members need to speak out against the danger of vote-buying and vote-selling.

“The security agents should not focus their search for vote buyers and vote sellers at the polling units alone, they should scan the surroundings to see what was going on outside the polling units. Even if we did not arrest them, the presence of the security operatives alone will deter them and the deterrent value alone is more helpful to INEC.”

In his address, the Chairman Board of The Electoral Institute (TEI), Professor Abdullahi Alodu Zuru, maintained that the Ekiti governorship election was a very significant election to the commission and the nation, “given that it would be the first major election to be conducted under the new Electoral Act 2022.”

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Zuru, who was represented by the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Ekiti State, Dr Tella Adeniran said: “The election provides the Commission with yet another opportunity to test-run its reviewed policies, processes and new initiatives arising from the lesson learnt from the conduct and outcome of the 2019 General elections and the numerous off-cycle and bye-elections which were organized, which have their place in the history of elections in Nigeria.

“The successful signing into law of the new Electoral Act 2022 by Mr President which provides revolutionary law that protects the electoral environment and strengthens the electoral process and INEC’s capability to deliver free, fair and credible elections, is another opportunity.

“Thus, the Commission is reviewing its regulations, guidelines and manuals in line with the New Electoral Act 2022 and inputs from the policy dialogue and conduct of the Saturday, June 18, 2022, Ekiti Governorship would be very invaluable.”

The Ekiti REC assured stakeholders of the commission’s readiness to conduct a credible and transparent poll and provide a level playground for all the 16 participating political parties.