Vote Buying: Group tackles Political Parties for turning Electorate Into Commodities 

The Executive Director, Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR), Comrade Idris Abdul Miliki has taken a swipe at political parties in Nigeria for institutionalizing votes buying during elections.

He therefore blamed politicians for turning Nigerian electorate into commodities which they believed that can be purchased at will.

Miliki spoke in Lokoja on Tuesday during a one day post-primaries engagement with political parties, organized by CHRCR in partnership with Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), support from Mac Arthur Foundation, on prioritizing anti corruption and accountability issues towards 2023 elections.

He noted that while the political parties are the major culprits in votes buying, the electorate who sell their votes are also culpable as there won’t be buyers if there are no sellers.

Miliki described vote buying and selling as a criminal offense, and tasked political parties to incorporate anti corruption and accountability issues in their manifestoes ahead of the 2023 Elections.

He explained that the failure of political parties to engage in adequate political education is major reason they become desperate to buy votes at the polls.

The various political parties present at the meeting all made commitments to fighting issues of corruption, pointing out that efforts is on for all the candidates.

The political parties gave hunger and poverty as reasons for votes buying and selling.

Miliki lamented over the discovery of about 70,000 multiple registrants found in Kogi voter register alone as disclosed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).