The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), said speedy passage of the National Electoral Offences Commission and Tribunal Bill by the National Assembly will checkmate vote buying.

The bill, meant to provide the legal framework for investigation and prosecution of electoral offences for the general improvement of the electoral process in Nigeria, on June 30, passed second reading in the House of Representatives.

“There is no way we can be conducting elections and at the same time, watching people that are buying the conscience of voters with money, food or other things.
“That is why the commission has been asking the national assembly regularly to finish its work on the electoral offences commission and tribunal bill to become law.
“When we have this, it will be just like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, to monitor and investigate the menace of vote buying and other offences.
“It will be like security agency for INEC. Their job will be purposely for this and they will be all out on Election Day.
“The vote buyers and sellers are giving INEC a bad name, however,  it is not the duty of INEC to monitor this,” he said.
Agbaje advised that all stakeholders should engage politicians on vote buying ahead of the  2023 general  elections, and talk to them as actors sponsoring and encouraging this menace.

The REC decried the delay in prosecuting    electoral offences  in Nigeria, describing it as frustrating.

“When we see this kind of thing, we get frustrated. The judiciary also has to do something. What is the court waiting for in some of these electoral offences?
“In fact, in Kenya and other countries , within two hours, an electoral case will be judged.

“If people are jailed for  electoral offences, I am sure by 2023,  everybody will be careful; but because there is no punishment, people just feel they can do anything.

“So, it is not just between INEC and political parties, judiciary also has a role to play. They must assist us to ensure that whatever case is brought is promptly judged to serve as deterrent ,” the INEC boss said.

According to him, if a case that is simple and can be judged within two weeks is left for three years, and people do not see any action, they feel that if they do it again, nothing will happen to them and that their godfathers will also protect them.
He explained that the security, judiciary, INEC, national assembly, political parties, NGOs and other critical stakeholders had roles to play in fighting vote buying and vote selling.
Agbaje said that it remained an offence for any voter to display his or her ballot after casting vote for anyone to see, saying: “If we have that agency we are talking about, that is their job to position officers to monitor all these.”

The INEC chief added that even before elections, every illegal transfer of money to thousands of voters would be monitored and investigated by the agency.
According to him, INEC will intensify efforts in situating polling booths in such a way that it will not allow voters to display their  ballot paper after voting to  vote buyers, so as to get paid for voting their party.

He, however, pointed out that in the 2023 general elections, INEC would discuss with members of the Inter Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) on ways to fight the menace.

Agbaje, however, urged Nigerians and politicians to change their orientation about elections, saying in countries like Republic of Ireland, elections were not monitored by policemen or party agents at the polling booths on Election Day.
He said that with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), the 2023 elections will be better and more credible, adding that votes would count in Lagos.

INEC Tasks Parties on Credible Agents, Says Votes’ll Count in 2023

In a related development the Commission has urged political parties to engage credible and trained party agents, assuring that votes would count in the 2023 general elections.
The INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Lagos state, Mr Olusegun Agbaje said that the commission was not carried away by the euphoria of success recorded in the recent Ekiti and Osun elections, but rather working hard to deliver best elections in the state in 2023.
According to Agbaje, the same commission under the leadership of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu that conducted some of the off circle elections Nigerians are proud of, will also offer best elections in 2023.
According to him, “It is important to also realise that INEC only conducts elections, INEC do not vote.
“It is the votes of the electorate that will be counted. All INEC does is to monitor the election.
“What we have seen now is better elections but we are looking for the best, and we assure Nigerians that by the Grace of God, with all the things that the commission has put in place, 2023  elections will be the best the country has ever had.
“In Lagos state, with the way we have been carrying along our political party leaders, various NGOs, CSOs and other groups in the state, even the media, we will deliver best elections.
“If every party has good party agents that will be at various polling units,  I don’t see any  reason why election results will be tampered with.”
He urged the stakeholders to always notify INEC if they observed anything capable of jeopardizing credible elections, saying the commission had vowed to give a level playing ground to all political parties and candidates in elections without interference.
“If you see things that are not proper and things that are not well done, bring our attention to it so that we can immediately do something and not wait until havoc has been done.
“All of us have roles to play including security agencies, and if all of us play our roles well the way it was played in  the Osun election recently, definitely, we should expect to have the best elections than we have ever had in the country next year,” he said.
On election security, the REC said that the commission had a very good and robust partnership arrangement with security agencies under the aegis of Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES).
“We have decided that we are going to inaugurate it in Lagos state in October. By the time we start, it is going to be straight to election,” he added. (NAN)