Bags of money won’t be allowed to buy votes and rig election results
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Votes will be cast without bags of money at polling units this year, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has assured, to allay fears of moneybags and bullion vans hijacking the critical contest for federal and state offices.
The INEC also gave an assurance it has concluded plans to conduct a credible election countrywide, including in Rivers, and urged all candidates and politicians to play by the rules.
INEC Rivers Head of Voters Education Mark Osulo made the plea at a ‘National Roundtable on the Roadmap to a Credible and Violence Free 2023 General Elections’ organised in Port Harcourt by Equity International Initiative (EII).
He said Saturday’s election will be free and fair because the new naira policy of the federal government has saved the process from vote buying.
“I assure you that the election is going to be free and fair. There will be no vote buying. It is going in tandem with our plans with stakeholders.
“There will be no money to buy votes. We are going to experience an election without vote buying. There will be no money to buy votes,” Osulo insisted.
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Holding INEC to its promise
EII Country Director Chris Iyala stressed the election is crucial to the survival of Nigeria and the people are holding the INEC to its promise of a free, fair and credible election, per Vanguard.
“This election is crucial. We are focusing on the credibility of the election. In 2019, we set election situation monitoring and we monitored election at 8,000 units.
“We are holding INEC by their word on the statement that they will conduct a free and fair election. For the first time, we have witnessed how elections should be conducted especially with the Osun election,” Iyala said.