The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said on Tuesday that politicians in Ekiti State developed several clever means to buy votes in last weekend’s governorship election in the state.
However, the Commission commended the security agents for responding to reports sent to them during the election.
The National Commissioner of INEC, Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu, told journalists in Bénin City, Edo State, that the Commission is taking the issue of vote buying seriously.
May, who is also the Chairperson of INEC Legal Services Committee, said the electoral body was already considering ways to curb vote buying during elections.
She said adequate enlightenment and education of the electorates should be carried out to make them understand the need to make their vote counts and not about money.
She said the Osun State governorship poll would be better because of the state are more “sophisticated than that of Ekiti.”
She said: “INEC is taking issue of vote buying very seriously. I am just coming as part of the Supervising National Commissioner for Ekiti and these things occur.
“We are having another conference on electoral offences. Vote buying is another electoral offence and we are looking at ways to curb it. Politicians keep trying their best. Politicians were clever in Ekiti. They have ingenious ways to sort themselves out. We will go back and review it and see how we can stop vote buying with the best of our ability.”
