Former National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Festus Okoye, has accused Nigeria’s political elite of using vote-buying to undermine the power of citizens to freely choose their leaders.
Okoye made the allegation on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, where he questioned the commitment of political leaders to conducting free, fair and credible elections.
He argued that some politicians were more interested in influencing election outcomes through financial inducements than allowing voters to exercise their democratic rights.
According to him, vote-buying threatens the principle of popular sovereignty by allowing politicians to manipulate the choices of the electorate.
Okoye said credible elections must enable Nigerians to cast their ballots without intimidation, coercion or undue pressure.
He also criticised political parties for what he described as a lack of clear ideological positions and issue-based campaigns, arguing that parties should focus on presenting their policies and programmes to the electorate.
The former INEC commissioner expressed concern that political parties were not adequately engaging Nigerians on issues that matter to them, but were instead concentrating on ways to undermine the impact of votes.
He called for continued reforms in Nigeria’s electoral system, including the appropriate deployment of technology to improve election administration and protect the integrity of the voting process.
Okoye further urged the media, civil society organisations and citizens to closely monitor the activities of politicians throughout the electoral cycle.
He stressed that scrutiny should not be limited to election day but should also cover political activities before voting, during the elections and after the announcement of results.
The former commissioner also highlighted the important role played by ad hoc electoral personnel, including members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and other Nigerians recruited by INEC to assist in conducting elections.
He noted that these temporary workers play a significant role at polling units and are central to the administration of elections across the country.
Okoye’s remarks come as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections, with renewed attention on vote-buying, electoral transparency and the need to ensure that the will of Nigerian voters is respected.
