Ekiti election: Vote-buying as bad as rigging, says UK

The British Government has condemned vote – buying , which was rampant in the recent Ekiti State governorship election .The British High Commissioner to Nigeria , Paul Arkwright , described vote – buying as a form of electoral misconduct like rigging and ballot stuffing, while addressing journalists shortly after a meeting with the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof . Mahmood Yakubu , in Abuja on Friday.

He said , “ I was there in Ekiti to monitor elections and I heard a lot of reports of alleged vote buying and we are convinced that some vote buying went on . I condemn it . Vote buying is illegal; it is against the law , it is just as vote rigging , it is just as bad as ballot stuffing .

“ We cannot make a distinction when all these activities are illegal so I condemn that . What are we going to do about it ? Well we just had a meeting with the chairman of INEC , we have been talking about public awareness and how the political parties themselves can take responsibility for condemning this action and not continuing it .

“ We do hope that 2019 will be free , fair , credible and of course , peaceful elections. ”

The British envoy , however , commended INEC for the conduct of elections in recent times , saying the UK government had faith in INEC and its leadership.

Arkwright also said the UK and United States governments had pledged $ 60 m ( N 21 . 6 bn ) to voter education in Nigeria for the next six years .

He added , “ I think the election process itself went well , the materials were there , the security forces kept their distance and did manage to keep a peaceful election and we are seeing progress in how INEC is carrying out each election . So , we have confidence in INEC and the chairman.

“ The UK has been a very strong supporter of INEC and together with the USAID , we are spending about $ 60 m over a six – year period in support of deepening democracy in Nigeria . ”

In his remarks , the Department for International Development Secretary of State, Penny Maudaunt , advised security agencies to be neutral in conduct even as the 2019 general elections approach .

Maudaunt said , “ Though the elections were largely peaceful and results widely endorsed by stakeholders , vote buying by both the main political parties was widely criticised .

“ There is time to tackle some of the challenges noted before next year’ s elections. But INEC will not be able to solve all electoral problems on its own . Everyone in society has a role to play and a contribution to make .

“ Political parties must respect a code of conduct adhering to the highest standards . We encourage security agencies to remain visibly neutral and ensure a safe and secure environment for the electorate . ”

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