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Nigerians will cast their votes for a new president and federal lawmakers on Saturday, February 25. They will return to the polls a week or so later to choose the 36 state governors and state legislators.
However, there have been instances of political party representatives and agents bribing electorates with money to vote for their candidates in prior elections, which has raised concerns for both participants and election observers.
The 2023 elections have been described by many as being crucial and existential for the country and its more than 200 million citizens, and any error will not only affect the country but also its strained populace.
Therefore, to ensure that there are no instances of vote buying, the federal government, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and other stakeholders must take decisive action. Importantly, INEC must make sure that anyone caught offering money to voters to buy their votes is apprehended and dealt with properly in court. In this regard, the security agencies must work hand in hand with INEC.
This is important because of the need to set examples and use those bent on buying votes as deterrents for those who may think of engaging in the detestable act.
Nigeria must succeed this time, and those determined to sabotage the democratic process in the nation must be given serious lessons.
- Favour Nwafor, Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO)
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