Vote buying: INEC to deploy undercover agents to monitor polling units, uncover culprits
By Moses Adeniyi
To uncover hidden acts of vote trading and apprehend culprits for prosecution, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) plans to deploy undercover agents to pulling units for the 2023 General Elections – Nigerian NewsDirect has learnt.
The strategy, it was gathered, is part of the Commission’s modalities to sanitise the election process from malpractices, such as the popular electoral malfeasance of vote buying and selling.
The INEC Chairman on Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, in Abuja during a citizens’ election dialogue themed, “What makes a good election in Nigeria” disclosed the Commission is collaborating with the different security agencies under the auspices of the inter-agency consultative committee on election security to make sure that plain cloth security personnel are deployed to some polling units on election day to stem the issue of vote buying and vote selling.
“We have also made sure that people do not enter the voting compartments with their mobile phones that can take pictures and we’re also collaborating with the different security agencies under the auspices of the inter-agency consultative committee on election security to make sure that plain cloth security personnel is deployed to some polling units on election day to stem the issue of vote buying and vote selling.
“This Commission is focused and determined to give Nigerians a good election. In terms of the issue of vote buying, the commission has reconfigured the various polling units to guarantee the secrecy of the votes.
“It’s fashionable to grandstand relating to the commitment of the INEC to free, fair and transparent elections. But you should also flip back and look at some of the party primaries that some of the political parties conducted and how well they conducted them.”
Okoye reiterated the Commission’s commitment to delivering free, fair and credible elections for all Nigerians, which he said would be enhanced by collaboration with security agencies.
According to the INEC National Commissioner, the electoral umpire will continue to train its members of staff towards ensuring a hitch-free poll.
He said the training will ensure that election officials know how to configure and position the voting cubicle to guarantee the secrecy of the votes.
“INEC will make sure technology is deployed and we’re also going to make sure that we transmit polling unit results into our INEC viewing portal,” he added.
The Commission, recently, has specifically turned stringent attention to eliminating the pervasive electoral malfeasance of vote trading which over time has been a culture in Nigeria’s electoral culture. Recent gubernatorial elections in the Country witnessed the arrest and prosecution of suspects allegedly found in the act of vote trading.
