The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has stated that it would not waver in its resolve to stop vote-buying in the general election of 2023, urging stakeholders in the country to join fight the menace.
Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of INEC, made this statement on Monday in Abuja during a stakeholders’ meeting addressing the impact of money on the general election of 2023.
Although Yakubu stated that INEC did not believe it would be simple to eradicate the corrupting effects of money on elections, he added that the body was determined to do so.
“We fully realised that today’s initiative will not go down well with people who may not be committed to the growth of our electoral system and the consolidation of our democracy.
“We expect them to fight back. There will be both covert and overt pressure, countervailing actions and even threats by these vested interests.
“I wish to reiterate that our loyalty is to Nigeria and our allegiance is to Nigerians. We are committed to working with the collaborating agencies to see that this initiative succeeds in the 2023 general election and beyond.
“The commission is aware that legal provisions and the actions of the agencies are critical but will not be enough to completely root out the deep-seated cancer of corrupt money in our election.
“The concerted actions of citizens are crucial. Citizens must reject inducements to sway their votes through vote-buying.
“They must also engage effectively in stopping the negative use of money in our electoral process generally by reporting cases to INEC and other agencies.
“In addition, civil society organisations should make this a major plank of both their pre-election and election observation activities.
“Financial institutions, religious organisations, traditional institutions, the media, civic bodies and, above all, citizens must also join in this fight.”