In advance of Saturday’s governorship elections in Osun, the National Electoral Commission (INEC) issued a warning against the use of money in politics. Professor Abdulganiyu Raji, the resident electoral commissioner for INEC in Osun, issued the warning on Friday night’s episode of Channels Television.
“We have the power of the Constitution to hand over vote buyers and sellers to the police,” Mr. Raji said. “We don’t have the power of arrest. We only tell the security agents that this person is running afoul of the law and so he’ll be arrested and will be judged during the prosecution.”
The precinct of the voting units was formerly 10 meters long but is now 300 meters, as a result of Mr. Raji’s remarks. Vote-buying and insecurity were among the top issues that INEC had in mind before the upcoming governorship election in Osun. Vote buying was cited by Kimpact Development Initiative on Friday as a major issue that might be seen at all state polls. Conflicts between cults, assaults by political thugs, and false information are further worries. In earlier days in Osun, political parties had turned to exploit food items and livestock to influence the electorate in their favor.
