YIAGA Africa charges EFCC, ICPC to checkmate vote-buying in Osun election

An election monitoring group, YIAGA Africa, on Thursday charged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to check vote-buying in next weekend’s governorship election in Osun State.

The group’s Executive Director, Samson Itodo, made the call at a media briefing in Osogbo.

Itodo said political parties, candidates, and their supporters must refrain from vote-buying and other acts of compromising the country’s electoral practice.

READ ALSO: ONDO: Vote buying, electoral offences done in presence of security officers —Yiaga Africa

He said:  “Yiaga Africa calls for better coordination with the EFCC and the ICPC in making arrests of political party leaders, agents and anyone attempting to buy or sell votes before the election and on election day.

“Security agencies should deploy monitoring mechanisms to checkmate and curtail personnel excesses on election day.”

Itodo stressed that the Osun election was another test of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies’ readiness to conduct credible elections in Nigeria.

He appealed to INEC’s permanent and ad hoc staff, all security agents, candidates, and their supporters as well as the electorates to ensure successful conduct of the election.

 He added: “While INEC has expressed confidence in the state of its preparedness, YIAGA Africa urges the commission not to overestimate its capacity nor underestimate potential challenges that could undermine the election.

“The voters in Osun and Yiaga Africa expect that INEC and security agencies will deliver credible, peaceful and conclusive elections bereft of challenges of election logistics, technological failures, inconsistent application of electoral laws and guidelines, electoral violence and vote-buying.”

The last month governorship election in Ekiti was marred by allegations of vote-buying with many parties, particularly the Social Democratic Party (SDP) accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of engaging in vote-buying.

The APC candidate, Abiodun Oyebanji, was later declared as the winner of the election by INEC.

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