Osun: INEC, EFCC and empty threats against vote-buyers

Despite threats made by the Independent National Electoral
Commission, as well as the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission, to use the Osun State governorship election to make a
bold statement against vote-buying, widespread cases of the
phenomenon were still reported at the poll on Saturday and
Thursday. This has therefore called for concerns over INEC’s
capacity to stem the ugly tide, JESUSEGUN ALAGBE writes

Less than 24 hours before the Osun State governorship election
last Saturday, the Independent National Electoral Commission called
a gathering full of journalists and local and international
election observers at Osogbo, the state capital.

There, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Olusegun
Agbaje, spoke in stern tone, saying the commission was fully
prepared to conduct an election that would be free of
vote-buying.

He vowed the commission was ready to use the election to make a
bold statement against the “monster,” which had marred previous
elections in the country, including the recently held governorship
election in Ekiti State, where widespread vote-buying and
vote-selling cases were recorded.

Agbaje also warned politicians and voters against vote-buying
and vote-selling respectively, saying the commission was ready to
unleash the full wrath of the law against anyone found doing
so.

“Politicians must not induce voters with money during the
election and voters must only vote for the candidate of their
choice while resisting any attempt by anyone to buy their votes,”
he said.

“It should be noted that the commission has perfected plans with
the security agencies to decisively deal with anyone engaging in
any illicit act, especially the notorious act of ‘see and buy’
during the election in line with the relevant laws.”

The REC went on to list the penalties for those caught in the
act of vote-buying.

He cited, “For the avoidance of doubt, Section 24 of the
Electoral Act (as amended) states that a person who gives voters
money to vote for or refrain from voting for a candidate is liable
on conviction to a fine of N500,000 or 12 months imprisonment.

“Similarly, any person who violates the secrecy of vote,
according to Section 25 of the Electoral Act (as amended), is
liable on conviction to a fine of N100,000 or six months
imprisonment or both.”

He added, “I want to reassure all stakeholders in the Osun State
governorship election that INEC, under the leadership of Prof.
Mahmood Yakubu, will never do anything that will alter the gains it
has so far achieved in terms of credibility.”

By the electoral commissioner’s threats against vote-buyers,
anyone at the gathering would perhaps be fully convinced that INEC
had truly perfected all plans to curb the plague, more particularly
as the commission’s Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, had earlier
stated it was working with security agencies, including the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, to check vote-buying.

Two days before the election, Yakubu had during a visit to the
EFCC headquarters in Abuja raised concerns about vote-buying, while
seeking the anti-graft agency’s help to combat the “worrisome
situation.”

He said, “We are here as part of our consultations with critical
agencies that are connected to the electoral process. We have
undertaken a number of innovations to strengthen the electoral
system and these days, you hear less of ballot box snatching and
kidnapping of INEC officials. But as we solve one problem, another
one is coming up.

“Of immediate concern is the election we are holding on Saturday
(September 22) in Osun State and it is going to be the last major
election before the 2019 general elections.

“We have taken steps as a commission, but we need the support of
the EFCC in this respect. Vote-buying and selling is earning a bad
reputation for our democracy, for our elections and we thought we
should visit national institutions like the EFCC because you have
the powers under the law to arrest, investigate and prosecute so we
can stem this ugly tide.”

Assuring the INEC chairman of the EFCC’s support, the anti-graft
agency’s Chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, said, “There’s indeed a lot of
concern about vote-buying and -selling. There’s also a lot of
concern about the possibility of moneybags trying to derail our
democracy and democratic process.

“We have the mandate to monitor money transfers and we are
collaborating with the banks. We have the mandate to arrest,
investigate and prosecute and we are going to use the Osun State
governorship election as a test case.”

He emphasised, “We will work with you. We will do our best.”

Prior to its partnership with the EFCC, the electoral commission
had also forged alliances with the police and the Independent
Corrupt Practices and other relatedoffences Commission to tackle
vote-buying during the Osun State governorship election.

On September 10, Yakubu had requested the acting ICPC Chairman,
Mr. Musa Abubakar, to deploy its operatives to arrest and prosecute
vote-buyers in the Osun State governorship election.

“INEC is determined to deal with the problem of vote-buying. We
have called on the citizens to report any form of vote-buying. The
commission is determined to introduce an inter-agency framework for
the collaborative effort in tackling this issue,” Yakubu said.

On his end, Abubakar said, “We are ready to collaborate with the
electoral commission in dealing with the issue of vote-buying. We
will do what is required within the law in the discharge of our
duties.”

However, despite INEC’s vow to use the Osun State governorship
election to make a strong statement against vote-buying, several
incidents were reported across the 30 local government areas of the
state.

A day before the election, some of the governorship candidates
and their political associates had devised several means to induce
voters with cash ahead of the poll. Representatives of at least one
of the contestants even used the WhatsApp social media platform to
woo Permanent Voter Card holders to sell their votes.

The associates of a contestant had set up a WhatsApp number,
08120569530, where the voters were asked a series of questions to
ascertain if they actually had PVCs and were Osun State
indigenes.

After making enquiries from a potential vote-seller, the
administrator of the WhatsApp line had then promised that N10,000
would be deposited into their account number at 6am on the election
day, after sending their account details, age, town, ward and unit
to claim the amount.

A message from the administrator as seen by Saturday PUNCH had
read, “You’ll receive bank alert 6am on the election day. Don’t
forget to pass this good news to all your friends and family. Make
sure you add us to your phone book and don’t forget to send this to
all your friends and family living in Osun State.”

One of the election contestants was said to have even started
distributing money to the party’s ward leaders, who would identify
the names of their party members on the voter registers and pay
them ahead of the poll.

Also, the sponsor of another candidate was said to have
compelled some party leaders to swear an oath that they would spend
the money he wanted to give them to induce voters and not pocket
them.

Some of the leaders were said to have agreed while a few of them
were said to have rejected the money because they could not swear
the oath of allegiance.

The same candidate was said to have also distributed forms to
prospective voters with PVCs, asking them to fill in their accounts
details to enable them to be credited with the sum of N10,000. The
amount is said to be meant for any voter with a PVC.

And then, on the election day, several cases of vote-buying were
reported while some were witnessed firsthand by our correspondent –
from Osogbo, to Iragbiji, to Ikirun, to Iwo, to Ede and Ilesa,
among several other towns in the state.

Some of the political parties’ agents were seen handling cash
brazenly, close to the polling units and sharing among those who
had voted for their parties.

Speaking to our correspondent, a voter at Ward 9, Unit 3 at
Osogbo, simply identified as Akeem Osuntokun, said he was also
lured to sell his vote but rejected it because he didn’t want to
sell his future.

He said, “All the three major parties lured me with sums ranging
from N2,000 to N5,000. I rejected their offers because I wasn’t
willing to sell my vote again. I did during previous elections.

“Any party that is offering money before voting for its
candidate is a fraud. This is my belief. It’s unfortunate so many
people didn’t see things this way.”

An Osogbo-based lawyer and social commentator, Mr. Matthew
Asubiojo, noted that vote-buying during the Osun State governorship
election wasn’t in any way different from the Ekiti State
scenario.

He said, “I thought we had seen the end of it all at Ekiti State
until it happened in my very own state. I was surprised because I
was convinced that INEC would really stop it.

“The commission boasted and made lots of threat against it, but
it was like those threats were empty. Nothing was curbed, nothing
was reduced. I think it was even more pronounced at the Osun
election.

“You know it didn’t start with Ekiti State. We have had it in
Anambra State, and before Anambra State, Edo State. But initially
it had always been done discreetly; voters wouldn’t dare queue up
near a polling unit to collect money from party agents.

“But just like it happened in Ekiti, it happened last week in
Osun. I think INEC still has a long way to go. It is not by making
threats but by really carrying out the threats.

“I know some party agents were arrested, but they were very few
compared to those who actually participated in it. INEC needs to do
more, especially now that it has failed to use the Osun election to
make a bold statement against vote-buying as it promised
before.”

Although the Osun electorate were advised against selling their
votes by different national and international bodies, including the
European Union, a public affairs analyst in Lagos, Mr. Suleiman
Kingsley, said poverty could sometimes make people do what they
never imagined they would do.

He however doubted INEC’s capacity to close all loopholes making
vote-buying to be possible ahead of the 2019 general elections,
having failed to prevent it during the Osun election.

He said, “Vote-buying stems from poverty, while poverty is
caused by poor governance. In a way, INEC can’t stop vote-buying
because those behind it are the employers of the commission’s
leadership.

“While I am not making any allegations, but our rulers are the
ones who appoint the commission’s chairman, so in a way, INEC can’t
prevent it, except if its boss wants to lose his job. He must bend
to the demands of his employer.

He added, “Another thing is poverty, as I said before. Look at
the Osun scenario: it’s not an economically buoyant state, most
residents rely on salaries, which have not been even paid
regularly. So, if a politician promises to give you N10,000 in just
a day for just voting for them, you might not think twice before
saying yes. That was what happened.

“Vote-buying might not work very well in places like Lagos and
Abuja, but trust me, in places where there is a bit of poverty and
hunger, people would vote for the highest bidder.”

Nevertheless, Kingsley urged INEC not to think of its failure to
curb vote-buying in Osun State but do everything in its power to
fight against it at the 2019 general elections.

“And I think the electorate should also love themselves and stop
selling their future because of a morsel of bread,” he added.