2023 Elections: We stand only for Nigeria and Nigerians – INEC chairman

Prof Mahmood Yakubu, Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said the Commission expects some politicians to fight back as it moves to reduce the influence of money in the 2023 elections.

The INEC chairman who spoke in Abuja during stakeholders summit on addressing the influence of money in the 2023 elections however said the Commission’s loyalty is to Nigeria and Nigerians only.

Yakubu said the negative role of money in elections goes to the very heart of our democracy saying that it destroys the very basis of democratic elections which is that citizens should freely choose those who exercise power on their behalf.

He explained that over the years, INEC introduced a number of measures, including the slight reconfiguration of Polling Units to bring the ballot boxes closer to the voting cubicles to discourage the exposure of the marked ballot papers by voters to vote buyers and also banned the use of smart phones and photographic devices by voters in the voting cubicles.

He however said tet, these measures have recorded limited success.

According to him, “Today, we commence yet another initiative to sanitise and strengthen our electoral process. We believe that in dealing with the corruption of our elections by money, the Commission cannot do it alone. To succeed, we must mobilise every relevant national institution to support our effort. We must rely on the professional and other capacities of cognate agencies in our determination to improve electoral administration in Nigeria.

“Let me seize this opportunity to remind the public that the ban on cell phones at voting cubicles is still in force. We have for some time now reorganised our Polling Units so that ballot boxes are placed next to the voting cubicles to forestall the practice by unscrupulous voters of showing their marked ballot papers to vote buyers. We appeal to voters to draw the attention of our polling officials wherever they observe that these basic rules are not complied with.

“Let me once again reassure Nigerians that we are determined to ensure a solid election management system and a legacy of credible elections in Nigeria. We believe that every conscientious Nigerian wants us to do so. As a Commission, we harbour no illusion that it is going to be easy to root out the negative influence of money on our elections, but we are determined to tackle it.

“We fully realise that today’s initiative will not go down well with people who may not be committed to the growth of our electoral system and the consolidation of our democracy. We expect them to fight back. There will be both covert and overt pressure, countervailing actions and even threats by these vested interests. I wish to reiterate that our loyalty is to Nigeria and our allegiance is to Nigerians. We are committed to working with the collaborating agencies to see that this initiative succeeds in the 2023 General Election and beyond.”