We Need To Break The Chain Of Vote Buying First In Primaries – INEC Boss

We Need To Break The Chain Of Vote Buying First In Primaries – INEC Boss

Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, says vote buying needs to be eradicated first during primaries before it can be eradicated during main elections.

Mahmood said this on Monday during a public hearing organized by the National Assembly on improving electoral processes in Nigeria.

He explained that there were instances where candidates induced voters by stylishly giving them money.

According to him, in order to bring an end vote buying, first, the menace of voter inducement has to be tackled.

Mahmood said, “There is a way voters are induced using two slices of bread. Sandwiched in between the two slices is a currency note.

“The sandwich here is not as food, its sandwich for voter inducement… candidates induce the electorate in a general election.

“In order to end the menace of vote buying, we need to break the chain of voter inducement, otherwise, we cannot expect to eradicate the problem in the secondary election, where many of the players are perpetrators of voter inducement at primary elections.

“We have had so many instances in this country where aspirants include delegates within their party to emerge as elected members of party executives, at state, local government and ward levels.

“At the same time candidates induce voters in an election so it’s a chain that we need to break”.

The Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara also spoke on the matter.