Still on vote buying, selling

RECENTLY, a former governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, lamented the phenomenon of vote buying and selling in Nigeria’s political process, saying that the people tended to lose whenever they sold their votes to politicians during elections. Delivering a lecture entitled ‘Making Nigeria’s election cleaner, transparent and credible’ at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Enugu State, Uduaghan acknowledged that the recent general election in the country was characterised by vote buying and urged the government to invest heavily in political education, especially at the grass roots. According to him, the greatest empowerment the people need today is political education, since voters do not always understand what their best interests are, and how to ensure that these interests are reflected during elections. He was of the view that with a more informed electorate, the rising culture of solicitation and vote buying would be curbed.

Said the former Delta State governor: “The argument that voters sell their votes because of hunger does not hold water. Eventually, how much does each get? A pittance. An enlightened electorate will not readily sell their votes because to do so means foregoing the right to demand prudent and accountable government. INEC, the election regulator, had introduced several measures to contain this problem in conjunction with the security agencies but it is unclear how much effect this had in the election. If we go by the news in the media and various other reports, it appears that very little was achieved to curb this creeping menace of vote buying. In 2019, some desperate politicians appear to have found a way to undermine this technology. Reports abound where the card reader was bypassed in the conduct of elections. Over-voting occurred. Under-counting also occurred. There were fake polling units, there was thuggery, and fake results were announced. Collusion between INEC staffers and political agents and operatives was rife. In short, all sorts of malfeasance happened to discredit the election. Security agencies were accused of being used to suppress and intimidate voters; some of these were captured on camera.”

It is indeed difficult to fault Dr. Uduaghan’s analysis. Like him, every right-thinking Nigerian is concerned not just with the electoral heists that were actualised in the 2019 general election but with the process that facilitated such malfeasance. Without doubt, his prognosis is instructive because as a two-term governor, particularly one who faced various litigations to affirm his electoral mandate, Uduaghan apparently understands the threats posed to the country’s democracy by vote buying and selling. Of a truth, there is something quite anomalous in selling your votes and expecting good governance at the same time. But as Nigerians are well aware, the prevailing  atmosphere of misery in the country is quite antithetical to the quest to end vote buying and selling. Contesting election in the country involves a huge amount of money, from obtaining the expression of interest and nomination forms to actual campaigning and the purchase of people’s franchise during elections, and it goes without saying that a winner has to recoup his or her expenses and prepare for the next election once in office. The situation is not helped by the trauma of misery and poverty occasioned by bad governance, misplaced priorities, greed and inept leadership at all levels. When caught in such stupor, people can hardly think and act rationally.

• Voter’s apathy and vote buying: A great challenge to Nigerian Democracy

Sadly, the situation is deteriorating every minute based on available data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and international agencies like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which testify to the slide in the country’s economy. Again, it seems that to remain in power, the country’s politicians tend to ensure that the people remain in misery. This is why Uduaghan’s recommendation that the government embarks on massive education of the populace, genuine though it is, cannot work without addressing poverty. In our previous editorials, we noted that electronic voting, if well practised, has a strong answer to the prevalent evil of electoral fraud. With the current system of analogue voting, we warned, the country’s electoral system cannot but witness the infiltration of desperate politicians and consequently the failure of representative democracy and the paucity of credible leaders. Time and again, we have called on the National Assembly to protect the people and guarantee the secrecy of balloting, providing INEC with the needed legislation for electronic voting, complemented by simultaneous collation of results at the collation centres, whether at the zonal, state or national  levels. In addition to eliminating rigging, electoral frauds and other irregularities, we argued, this will enthrone credibility and transparency in the electoral process.

We have not been persuaded to change our view that vote buying is a variant of electoral corruption which is even worse than other forms of electoral malfeasance such as thuggery and ballot snatching. It is not hard to see that apart from tarnishing the image of the country in the international community, vote buying and selling is a monstrous corruption enterprise. The  funds channelled towards vote purchase are mostly proceeds of corruption that must be recouped in multiples by further acts of corruption. This intricate linkage inevitably engenders an endless cycle of sleaze. Still, the point must be reiterated that while electronic voting would no doubt reduce vote buying and selling, it must be complemented by voter education and poverty alleviation. For now, though, President Muhammadu Buhari must sign the amended Electoral Act to curb the menace.