INEC Chairman, Prof Yakubu Mahmood
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has said it will arrest and prosecute people that engage in vote-buying in the Sept. 22 governorship election in Osun State.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this at the commission’s quarterly consultative meeting with political parties on Friday in Abuja.
He said the commission would no longer condone such act as vote-buying which had become a worrying factor in the country’s elections.
“We are witnessing an ugly trend of vote-buying in recent elections in the country; this is giving our democracy a bad name.
“There is difference between democracy – government of the people, made by the people and for the people and plutocracy, which is government by the rich.
“We are going to make Osun governorship election a big statement by arresting and prosecuting vote buyers. We can’t carry this ugly trend to 2019 elections,” Yakubu said.
Also, the INEC boss called on political parties to adhere strictly to the commission’s timetable and schedule of activities for the 2019 general elections.
He admonished political parties to ensure that their primaries were credible, saying credible and peaceful elections started with political parties, which were the cornerstone of democracy.
He noted that the commission would only recognise notice of primaries from parties’ national executive committees.