THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said there is a limit to what it can do to stop vote-buying during elections in the country.
INEC Commissioner representing Niger, Kogi and Kwara states, Mohammed Sani Adam, said this in Minna, Niger State, while monitoring the ongoing voter registration exercise in the state.
He said vote-buying is a national and sociological issue that jeopardises elections in Nigeria.
“There are the anti-corruption agencies like the ICPC and the EFCC, and other security apparatus basically saddled with the responsibility of monitoring criminal activities; ours is to conduct elections, not monitor criminals.
“INEC has nothing to do as far as vote-buying is concerned. What INEC can only do is to ensure that the polls are free, fair and all-encompassing, and also to ensure that polling units, security, materials and the process of the polling are fully observed according to the electoral act,” Adam said.
The INEC commissioner also admonished religious and traditional leaders across the country on the need to advise their subjects to desist from selling their votes during elections while advising politicians to continuously form the habit of accepting the outcome of polls.
He further revealed that more funds had been released to enhance INEC’s operations across Nigeria, to meet up with the 31st July dateline of closing the voter registration.
Adam praised residents of Niger State for turning out in large numbers for the voter registration exercise, adding that the Commission has set up a special scheme to ensure all Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) across the country are captured to participate in the general elections.