Nigeria 2019: Dogara accuses Buhari administration of vote buying

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has condemned the distribution of cash to Nigerians by the federal government very close to the general elections.

Mr Dogara stated this on Monday during a public hearing organised by the National Assembly Joint Committee on INEC and Political Parties Matters on Vote-buying and Improving the Electoral Processes in Nigeria.

He said no matter how noble the intent may be, such endeavours amount to vote buying and inducement, and can be considered corruption.

President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, had made a similar allegation, accusing the federal government of using the TraderMoni programme as a ‘sophisticated vote-buying’ plot to win the 2019 presidential election.

TraderMoni is one of the government’s initiatives under the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), a programme targeted at awarding collateral-free loans to two million petty traders across the country.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has become the face of the programme as he has launched it in several markets in many states in the country over the past few months.

On Saturday, Mr Osinbajo was in Ilorin, Kwara State for the programme.

But the speaker of the House of Representatives said the programme is fraudulent.

Mr Dogara while delivering his address said the act of inducing the public with cash in exchange for their votes is a fraud that is covered within section 124 (1)(a);(b);(c); Section(124)(2)(4)(5) and Section 130 of the Electoral Act.

He also noted that financial inducement for votes contravenes the fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy enshrined in Nigeria’s Constitution, even as there is also a lack of political will to implement the laws to offer deterrence to violators. He said even where arrests are made, the prosecution is not done, despite the damaging effect of the practice.

“Vote buying and other sundry criminal manipulations of the electoral process in Nigeria has left our citizens in a state of unmitigated disaster,” he said.