Election observer NGOs advocate urgent legislation against vote ―buying
By ONE of the observers accredited by the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to cover last Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room has called for urgent legislative action and law enforcement to tackle the challenge of vote-buying in Nigeria’s elections.
Situation Room, which is made up of about 70 civil society organisations working in support of credible and transparent elections in Nigeria, decried the advent of vote-buying he said was escalating and expressed concern that the worrying trend of vote buying had risen to a disturbing level.
The Executive Director of the Situation Room, Mr Clement Nwankwo, who briefed newsmen in Ado Ekiti, on Sunday, warned that if not checked, it portended “grave danger to Nigeria’s democracy.”
Nwankwo said the development had risen to the level where it could “undermine the responsibility of citizens to freely choose their leaders and threatens the essence of democracy.”
Citing the incident of monetary inducement by major political parties in Ekiti governorship election, Nwankwo said vote-buying represented a major setback to the gains made to Nigeria’s electoral process and denies the citizen the right to hold their leaders responsible to them.
According to him, the yearning for the women participation in politics as well as they’re being elected as the representatives of the people because of the increasing cost of electioneering campaigns.
On the violence and ballot snatching which have become a reoccurring decimal, the Situation Room urged the police to be proactive in the enforcement of electoral act to reduce violation of the law, especially as it relates to voting to buy.
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He however commended the police and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the “noticeable improvement in the conduct of the election.” He nevertheless calls on the commission to improve on the access to the polling units to people living with the disability, the elderly, pregnant women and nursing mothers.
Nwankwo, therefore, calls on citizens of Ekiti State to remain peaceful and urges all persons aggrieved with the outcome of the election, to remain peaceful and urges all persons aggrieved with the outcome of the election to follow legal process in seeking remedies.
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