Vote buying: INEC uncovers fresh plot by politicians, insists on simultaneous accreditation, voting

Determined to frustrate electoral malpractice of vote buying by politicians, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has discovered fresh plot by politicians to outsmart the Commission. The new plot, according to INEC chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu is to use food vendors stationed around polling centres as collection points for vote buying transaction on election days. Yakubu, however, told a team of the European Union Election Observation Mission in Nigeria that the Commission will ensure that the new plot will fail. The chairman said this while receiving the team led by the European Union Chief Observer, Mrs. Maria Arena in his office on Monday. He said “following recent consultations with stakeholders across the six geo-political zones in Nigeria, the attention of the Commission was drawn to new plans by some political actors to use food vendors around polling units with large voter population as collection points for cash-for-votes as well as other forms of material inducement to voters on Election Day. “We are aware of this trick. It will not work”, he vowed. Not minding the kicking against the system of simultaneous accreditation of voters and voting by some political parties and lately by former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, he said the Commission will stick to the system as suggested by the European Union observers. Acknowledging the benefits derived past recommendations of the EU Observer mission, the chairman said “we have implemented all the recommendations made by the EU Mission in 2015 that are within the powers of the Commission, including the simultaneous accreditation and voting system which we introduced on 9th January 2016 and thereafter seamlessly used to conduct off-season elections in 194 Constituencies”. Yakubu assured that the EU of its preparation for the 2019 polls. He said “we have had a series of very assuring meetings with the security agencies in order to ensure that processes are protected, the right of voters to vote freely safeguarded, access for observers and the media guaranteed, the election transparent and the outcome a true reflection of the will of the Nigerian people “. He appreciated the EU as one of the long-standing partners of the Commission in deepening Electoral democracy in Nigeria. “Through the EU Support for Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN), we have developed and validated our strategic plans; deepened our engagement with stakeholders; enhanced the participation of marginalised groups in the Electoral process especially women, youths and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs); built the capacities of our staff, brought together other Electoral Commission’s within Africa to share experience on best practice in the use of technology in elections; and benefitted from the services of elections, and benefitted from the services of election experts in various aspects of the Commission’s operations “, he said. The Chief Observer, Maria Arena thanked INEC for inviting the European observers saying they are interested in the growth of democracy in Nigeria. She said the EU has had six previous election observation missions in Nigeria but currently have 40 observers deployed in different parts of the country. Arena said the Mission will issue two preliminary reports after election days while it will submit its final report two months after the elections with recommendations. The EU Mission promised to work with other international elections observation missions such as the African Union and ECOWAS Mission. The Commission chairman later played host to members of the ECOWAS observers led by its coordinator, Mr Chinedu Chinedu. Tunde Opalana, Abuja