Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has accused politicians of bribing voters with money tucked in slices of bread on election days.
Speaking in Abuja on Monday at a one-day public hearing on ‘Votes Buying and Improving Electoral Processes in Nigeria,” a programme organised by the National Assembly Joint Committee on INEC.
Also at the occasion, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, expressed worry over the distribution of cash to the public by the federal government ahead of the 2019 elections.
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Yakubu stated that from the past elections, the election body has identified politicians as vote buyers using several means and tricks. He said some politicians stuck money in sliced bread and give prospective
“When I talk about sandwich we are not talking of bread but ways politicians induce voters by sandwiching naira notes in two slices of bread. I am talking of sandwich not as food but as tool used by politicians for voting exercise,” he said.
He added that politicians also induced voters with branded items including food, kitchen utensils, and all sorts of items.
According to him, INEC on its part, does not sell or buy votes.
The INEC boss warned that vote buying should not be allowed to define Nigeria’s election, adding that such aberration is not acceptable.
“Vote buying is not acceptable; it must never be allowed to define our elections. It is illegal and morally wrong. It denies citizens quality representation and gives us bad name internationally,” he said, adding, “It does not give us a good representation.”
He further called on the legislators to pass the Electoral Offences Tribunal Bill into law as recommended by Justice Muhammadu Uwais, Lemu and Ken Nnamani Electoral Reform Committees, adding that vote buying is not only a Nigerian issue, but has taken international phenomenon.
“The problem has been with us for a long while and it has become an international phenomenon. It is not just a Nigerian problem. In order to address this, we need to break the chain of voters’ inducement. We have so many instances, where aspirants induced electorate and candidates induced voters,” he said.
He however called on security agencies to collaborate with INEC in order to wage war against vote buying.
