Ondo State Poll: EFCC targets Vote Buyers

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission was reportedly deployed to various parts of Akure, Ondo State capital on Saturday, November 16, 2024.

The need to prevent the incidents of vote buying in the Ondo state gubernatorial election necessitated the deployment.

Also, the anti-graft agency was to target party agents who might have been caught indulging in such an outlawed practice.

A report by The Nation Nigeria stated that personnel of EFCC had been spotted arriving the Sacred Heart Primary School, Cathedral, Akure.

Bamidele Akingbola, governorship candidate of Social Democratic Party.

To support the claim of vote buying, Bamidele Akingbola, the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), disclosed that certain political parties were engaging in vote buying during the election in Okitipupa Local Government Area.

After casting his vote, he spoke to a TVC correspondent at polling unit 010, Olaleye Headquarters, Okitipupa Local Government Area.

“I voted here as a candidate 10 mins ago and I sat down there.

‘Some of group of people came in here, and started telling them where to vote, it’s not proper, it’s not proper.

“What I want to see is orderliness.

‘We need it here ,if you finish your vote, leave where you finished voting and sit somewhere else.

“The contention now is that, there are some groups of people telling the other group (the electorate) where to vote.

‘and they’re paying them there.

“They’re there with POS, they’re paying them there.

“Everybody here wants to vote for me but they’re trying to fringe it.”

Earlier, the SDP candidate had alleged that some political parties had stocked some hotels with a lot of cash.

He urged the EFCC to burst the area if it was serious about fighting vote buying.

He said: ‘If the EFCC Chairman did not tell us where the money that they brought into Ondo state yesterday in the Gana-Must-Go that they were carrying everywhere.

‘If they want to do their job, they should go and burst all the hotels in Ijaku tonight.

‘They will see a lot of money there.

‘Where did they get those cash from?

‘I decided to abide by INEC rules and regulations.

‘If you love me, vote for me.

‘If you don’t love me, you want to collect money, collect money.

‘But i will not go against INEC regulation.

‘It is there that if there find you spending money to buy votes, it is against the law.’

Vote Buying becomes most notorious electoral malpractice

The problem of vote buying has been most notorious in Nigeria’s electoral process since 2023.

The basic argument is that forms of electoral malpractice which hitherto bordered on violence, accreditation and result transmission are now over.

The deployment of adequate security personnel tackles violence.

Then, the Bi-modal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) effectively handles the voting process.

Nonetheless, vote buying largely remains a hallmark of our electoral system.

This springs from the fact that it is another subtle, but digitally independent form of malpractice,

Furthermore, vote buying in the Ondo election is not unconnected to similar incidents which happened during the Edo gubernatorial election.

The Edo state governorship poll, held on September 21, 2024, was reportedly marred by scenarios of vote buying.

In its report on the Edo State governorship election, released on September 24th, the Nigerian Bar Association Election Working Group noted instances of attempted vote buying.

According to the group’s leader, Mrs. Bolatumi Animashaun, observers in Ugbeku Local Government saw men and women engaging voters in discreet conversations.

She proceeded to say that a middle-aged man compiled a list of voters, raising suspicions of vote buying.

Vote buying is the practice where candidates or political parties offer money, goods, or services to voters in exchange for their votes.

This unethical practice undermines the democratic process in several ways.

Firstly, it erodes fairness by creating an uneven playing field.

This means that wealthier candidates have an unfair advantage over those with fewer resources.

Secondly, it corrupts the integrity of elections.

By this,  citizens cast votes based on financial incentives rather than genuine political beliefs or policies.

Thirdly, it weakens accountability, as elected officials who buy votes may feel less accountable to their constituents.

This is because they secured their positions through financial means rather than public support.

Additionally, it undermines trust in the electoral process and democratic institutions.

This leads to cynicism and disengagement among voters.

Lastly, it promotes inequality, as marginalized groups may be more susceptible to vote buying due to financial pressures.

In essence, vote buying distorts the democratic process.

It makes it less about the will of the people and more about financial transactions.

Hence, it undermines the core principles of democracy, which are based on free and fair elections, equal representation, and accountability.

The Ondo State gubernatorial election is set to occur in 3,933 polling units.

These units are spread across the state’s 18 local government areas.

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