The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Wednesday, charged the National Assembly to isolate vote buying and selling, as well as make it a separate item in the Electoral Act and provide severe sanction for violators.
It also suggested that the punishment for vote buying be increased and made stiffer to act as a deterrent to buyers and sellers, saying those that commit the offence should be made to pay a fine of N500,000 and be subjected to three years imprisonment, to a fine or both.
Its National Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu made this call in Abuja during his presentation at the 9th Forum of the Anti-Corruption Situation Room with the theme: “Vote Trading and Other Acts of Electoral Corruption in the 2019 General Elections, Setting Agenda for Prosecution and reform,” organised by Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA).
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Professor Yakubu, whose message was delivered by the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education, Barrister Festus Okoye, further said restriction on the use of smartphones in the polling units should be imputed into the Electoral Act and violators should be liable on conviction to fine of N500,000 and be subjected to 3 years imprisonment, to a fine or both.
According to him, the National Assembly should accelerate work on the Electoral Offences Commission Bill as a way of having a separate agency handle the investigation and prosecution of electoral offences and offenders.
He explained that the commission had taken some cogent steps in nipping it in the bud which includes changing and enhancing the secrecy of the vote through polling unit management and locating the voting cubicles outside the glare of party agents and the voters.
“Securing the voting area with rope to prevent the surge of voters that may compromise the secrecy of the vote. Banning and or restricting the use of Smart Phones in the voting cubicles and cooperating with security agents in posting plane clothes security agents to the polling units.
In his opening remark, the Chairman of the occasion, Mr Femi Falana (SAN) said under the electoral act, it is a criminal offence to influence or buy votes, but those who are going to enforce the law are also those in charge of the country, saying “we must examine a legal system.
“The election petition tribunal should not hesitate to recommend those who are found in the cause of the evidence to have compromised the system for trial.
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“Where people are indicted for committing an electoral offence, if you are going to have a rerun, it is unjust and inequitable to allow the same people to contest the election. It is like rewarding criminality, all the governors who were indicted in the elections in the past were allowed to take part in rerun elections. It makes a mockery because you are wasting the resources of the country by conducting election two or three times.
“I commend INEC for what they are doing and will like to suggest and hope INEC will give serious thought to electronic voting. You don’t need to go to the National Assembly because they will kick against it, because many of the politicians are beneficiaries of electoral fraud.
“Section 52, subsection 2 of the amended electoral act, INEC has the powers to introduce electronic voting. Secondly, if INEC is going to retain the current system, if you can have three elections in one day, Presidential, House of Representatives and Senate, why not have the five, simply add the governors and House of Assembly so that all elections will be held in one day and save enormous costs and these problems will be substantially reduced.” He stated.
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