Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has entreated Professor Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to “take duty and cease impunity for vote-shopping for and undue impact in Nigeria’s elections with the aid of using directly making sure the arrest and prosecution of suspected perpetrators of those crook acts withinside the Osun State governorship election.”
There are reviews of a brazen sample of vote-shopping for and electoral bribery in numerous polling gadgets specially with the aid of using the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the duration of the Osun Governorship election carried out on Saturday sixteen July 2022. Vote buying and selling turned into witnessed in numerous polling gadgets.
In the letter dated sixteen July 2022 and signed with the aid of using SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare, the employer stated: “INEC appears to have furthered a standard coverage of impunity for vote shopping for and undue impact in elections with the aid of using refusing to prosecute suspected perpetrators and their sponsors.”
SERAP stated, “INEC has pretty an excellent portfolio of powers of its personal to decrease and punish vote shopping for, and want now no longer watch for different businesses earlier than allotting its personal powerful method of prevention and prosecution.”
According to SERAP, “Nigerians rely upon INEC to decrease vote shopping for, electoral bribery and undue impact in elections however not anything will ever extrade if INEC won’t pursue costs in opposition to suspected perpetrators and their sponsors.”
SERAP additionally stated, “The acts of vote shopping for, electoral bribery and undue impact are really opposite to the explicit provisions of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], the Electoral Act, and worldwide standards.”
The letter, examine in part: “If INEC fails to act, vote shopping for, electoral bribery and undue impact might continue to be a everlasting characteristic of Nigeria’s elections due to the fact corrupt politicians and their sponsors might hold to interact in those crook acts with impunity.”
“This might inspire others to comply with suit, and the long-time period results of this type of tradition of impunity for the 2023 standard elections can not be underestimated.”
“We might be thankful if the encouraged measures are taken inside 7 days of the receipt and/or booklet of this letter. If we've got now no longer heard from you with the aid of using then, SERAP shall bear in mind suitable felony movements to compel INEC to conform with our request withinside the public interest.”
“Impunity for vote shopping for, electoral bribery and undue impact will hold until INEC can display management with the aid of using satisfactorily wearing out its constitutional and statutory duties to wipe out the stain of electoral bribery which now attaches to Nigeria’s elections.”
“If INEC is to stay as much as its aspiration as an unbiased frame this is devoted to free, truthful and obvious elections withinside the usa, now's the time to cease impunity for vote shopping for, electoral bribery and undue impact in elections.”
“By straight away taking duty to make certain the arrest and prosecution of vote shoppers and their sponsors, INEC might be sending a effective sign to politicians throughout the usa that it'll now no longer tolerate the exercise of vote shopping for, electoral bribery and good sized serial illegal activity withinside the usa’s elections.”
“The constant exercise and good sized serial reviews of vote shopping for,electoral bribery and undue impact in elections advocate the failure of INEC to awaken to its constitutional and statutory duties to prosecute suspected perpetrators and their sponsors.”
“SERAP additionally urges you to make certain the prompt, thorough and powerful research of the jobs performed with the aid of using the management of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) withinside the reviews of vote shopping for, electoral bribery and undue impact, pick out the ones involved, and make certain that they're delivered to justice.”
“Vote shopping for, electoral bribery, and undue impact undermine the capacity of INEC to discharge its duties beneathneath Section 153 of the Nigerian Constitution and paragraph 15(a) of the 0.33 agenda of the Constitution, and the Electoral Act 2022.”
“The Nigerian Constitution presents in Section 14(1)(c) that, ‘the participation with the aid of using the human beings of their authorities will be ensured according with the provisions of this Constitution.’”
“Sections 121 and 127 of the Electoral Act limit electoral bribery and undue impact earlier than, for the duration of and after any election. Section 145(2) presents that, ‘a prosecution beneathneath this Act will be undertaken with the aid of using felony officials of the Commission or any felony practitioner appointed with the aid of using it.” Under phase 2(b), the commission “shall have energy to sell understanding of sound democratic election processes.’”
“Similarly, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance assure the proper to political participation, consisting of the proper to vote. These human rights treaties additionally require states events consisting of Nigeria to sell the established order of the vital situations to foster citizen participation.”
“When political applicants and their sponsors determine to shop for the help of the human beings in place of contest pretty for his or her votes, there are opportunities that such applicants will display a push aside for democratic policies and a disposition to undertake unlawful method turns into inevitable.”
“Vote shopping for encourages terrible governance and weakens citizens' potential to maintain their ‘elected officials’ liable for their movements.”
“SERAP is involved that the failure of INEC to rein in vote shopping for, electoral bribery and intimidation is illustrated with the aid of using the truth that the frame has now no longer critically addressed comparable incidents in preceding elections.”
“Any failure to prosecute perpetrators of vote-shopping for, electoral bribery and undue impact for the duration of the Osun nation governorship election might be completely inconsistent with constitutional and worldwide standards, and the Electoral Act.”
“According to our information, there are reviews of a brazen sample of vote-shopping for and electoral bribery in numerous polling gadgets for the duration of the Osun Governorship election carried out on Saturday sixteen July 2022.”
“The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room stated codes and coupons had been used to extract commitments from electorate withinside the election, in place of the blatant cash replacing arms withinside the Ekiti election of remaining month. Vote buying and selling turned into witnessed in numerous polling gadgets.”
“Voting booths in among the polling gadgets had been now no longer placed to make certain secrecy of the ballots, making it feasible for electorate to flash their votes to different human beings. There turned into open negotiation of purchasing and promoting of votes well-coordinated with the aid of using the polling marketers in among the polling gadgets.”
“Politicians and political events had earlier than the election reportedly devised new techniques of inducing electorate to keep away from being stuck with the aid of using protection and anti-graft marketers.”
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