Ahead the 2019 general elections evidence abounds that politicians, particularly those contesting for elective offices, are violating the 2010 Electoral Act via Christmas gifts.
The gifts range from bags of rice and salt, wrappers, T-Shirts, face caps, foot wears crested with their images and the logos of their political parties as well positions they are vying for, cows, goats, chickens and cash.
While some politicians claim that they always give Christmas gifts to their constituents or supporters, this year’s Christmas gifts are with different intent and purpose as they are clearly meant to induce voters to support them during the elections.
For instance, pictures of bags of rice crested with photographs of President Muhammadu Buhari, his wife Aisha and Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State and his wife for distribution to people at Christmas have gone viral on social media while many governors and National Assembly members seeking re-election have taken to this strategy of vote buying.
A famous senator in North Central Nigeria is said to have procured seven trailer loads of bags of rice crested with his campaign posters for distribution to the seven local government areas that made up his constituency.
This politically motivated benevolence in this year’s Yuletide season out rightly contravenes the Electoral Act 2010, which would be used to conduct the 2019 general elections after President Buhari declined assent to the 2018 electoral amendment act which also retain the provision on vote buying or inducement of voters in whatever guise.
According to Section 124 of the 2010 Electoral Act, “Any person who directly or indirectly, by himself or by any other person on his behalf, gives, lends or agrees to give or lend, or offers any money or valuable consideration;
“Directly or indirectly, by himself or by any other person on his behalf, corruptly makes any gift, loan, offer, promise, procurement or agreement to or for any person, in order to induce such person to procure or to endeavour to procure the return of any person as a member of a legislative house or to an elective office or the vote of any voter at any election;
“Upon or in consequence of any gift, loan, offer, promise, procurement or agreement corruptly procures, or engages or promises or endeavours to procure, the return of any person as a member of a legislative house or to an elective office or the vote of any voter at any election;
“Advances or pays or causes to be paid any money to or for the use of any other person, with the intent that such money or any part thereof shall be expended in bribery at any election, or who knowingly pays or causes to be paid any money to any person in discharge or repayment of any money wholly or in part expended in bribery at any election;
“After any election directly, or indirectly, by himself, or by any other person on his behalf receives any money or valuable consideration on account of any person having voted or refrained from voting, or having induced any other person to vote or refrain from voting or having induced any candidate to refrain from canvassing for votes for himself at any such election, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a maximum fine of N500, 000 or 12 months imprisonment or both.”
The ongoing Christmas gifts by political office seekers to prospective voters clearly paints the picture of vote buying which threatens the credibility of next year’s polls as the law enforcement agencies turn blind eye to this violation of the electoral act.
Gram Matenga, senior programme officer, Africa & West Asia International IDEA, stated, “Vote buying, in its literal sense, is a simple economic exchange – candidates ‘buy’ and electorates ‘sell’ votes, as they buy and sell goods and services.”
He noted, “In vote buying transactions in Nigeria, voters are usually offered money, commodities such as food or clothing, and jobs.”
Worried by this ugly situation of inducing voters through Christmas gifts the Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, Paulinus Ezeokafor asserted that those who engage in vote buying in the 2019 general elections are committing sin and need to atone for their sins through confession.
Ezeokafor stressed that, “vote buying is a sin and those who do that must go for confession. It is a sin, sin in quote, I say in quote because you may say it is not among the 10 commandments by God. So I put it in a context so I can take responsibility for what I said.
“Even the one who received money to vote is also a sinner, and must go for confession, because if you did not demand, the politician will not give.
“The period of Christmas is a time for modesty and celebration of the life of Christ which he lived for us. Live moderately and remember that there will be next year, and that struggle and the challenges of life will continue”.
