Legal Practitioner and Former Senatorial Candidate for Anambra South, Barrister Chukwudi Ezeobika has expressed concern over the abuse of the electoral process where huge sums are dolled out at party primaries to secure votes from delegates by aspirants.
In a statement he issued and was made available to the National Update on Monday in Abuja, he called for the arrest and prosecution of every aspirant or delegate who paid or received money to vote or be voted for during ongoing party primaries.
According to him aspirants who breached the Law on vote buying and or Selling should be declared unfit unqualified to Lead.
The statement reads,
“It is indeed worrisome and extremely difficult to comprehend how
how negatively the electoral processes in Nigeria are being abused by both aspirants and delegates as well as the electorates under the watchful eyes of the electoral umpire, without any form of penalty and or consequence.
“This illegal conduct is gradually crippling the electoral processes and undermining the efforts of the electoral umpire in conducting free, fair, and credible elections for the sustenance of our democracy.
“It remains reprehensible that the law enforcement agencies in Nigeria could sit idly by and watch this cancerous trend of vote buying and selling go on in Nigeria unabated.
He expressed dismay at the brazenness and audacity with which these acts are carried out.
He also called for comprehensive interrogation of the factors militating against the integrity and transparency of elections and good governance in Nigeria in order to halt the ugly trend of lawlessness and restore sanctity in our electoral processes.
Ezeobika also frowned at the weak regulation of political parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission saying that there is the urgent need for strengthening them
“The act of vote-buying remains unlawful in Nigeria and the affirmation of these illegalities being perpetrated by political elites is of great concern and remains a grave threat to our democracy.
“Consequent upon the above, the Inspector General of Police and the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission as well as all relevant law enforcement agencies are hereby urged to, without further delays, investigate and prosecute all persons involved in vote buying and selling during the on going party primary elections.
“They are further called upon to ensure that all persons who indulge in the illegal conduct of vote buying and selling before, during and after the 2023 general elections in Nigeria are brought to account.”