…says Osun poll elevates menace to new level
THE Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has reiterated its earlier warning over the escalating menace of vote buying in Nigeria, saying the disturbing trend witnessed during the Osun State governorship election has further exposed the dangerous extent to which money is being deployed to compromise the democratic will of the electorate.
HURIWA is worried by the widespread allegations that APC and Accord Party in Osun state began since on Monday to pay potential voters with N20,000 and N10 000 for their votes this Saturday. “This statewide purchasing of votes is despicable and reprehensible just as the inability of the law enforcement agencies to prevent these scandals from happening, is absolutely unacceptable,” it said.
HURIWA National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, said the organisation had repeatedly warned that vote buying was gradually evolving from an electoral malpractice into a sophisticated political enterprise capable of undermining constitutional democracy.
According to him, developments surrounding the Osun election have only reinforced HURIWA’s fears that the practice is becoming increasingly entrenched in Nigeria’s electoral culture.
“We warned before now that vote buying was becoming a serious threat to Nigeria’s democracy. What we have witnessed in Osun has elevated that menace to another level and should serve as a wake-up call to every institution responsible for protecting the sanctity of the ballot.”
HURIWA said vote buying must no longer be treated as an isolated electoral offence committed by individuals at polling units, but as a broader form of electoral corruption and an assault on the constitutional sovereignty of the Nigerian people.
The association described the buying and selling of votes as “electoral terrorism against constitutional democracy,” arguing that the practice terrorises the conscience of voters, distorts electoral competition and enables politicians with greater financial resources to purchase political power.
HURIWA warned that the danger goes beyond the immediate election because a politician who buys votes with public or private funds is unlikely to regard public office as a platform for service.
“When a mandate is purchased, governance becomes an investment recovery project. The politician who spends billions buying votes will naturally seek ways of recovering that money from the public treasury,” Onwubiko warned.
The association expressed particular concern that widespread poverty and economic hardship are being exploited by political actors to turn vulnerable citizens into unwilling participants in an electoral marketplace.
HURIWA, however, stressed that the primary responsibility must rest on political actors and their financial sponsors who introduce money into the electoral process, rather than treating economically desperate voters as the principal villains.
The rights group therefore challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and security agencies to demonstrate that their commitment to electoral integrity extends beyond public declarations.
HURIWA demands the investigation and prosecution of the financiers, organisers and political beneficiaries of vote-buying networks, rather than merely arresting individual voters who accept inducements.
The association also urged INEC to strengthen mechanisms for detecting and documenting vote buying before, during and after elections, while ensuring that election officials remain independent and impartial.
HURIWA said the lessons from Osun must be urgently applied to preparations for the 2027 general elections.
It warned that if the country fails to decisively confront vote buying now, the practice could become so sophisticated and deeply entrenched that elections would effectively be determined by financial capacity rather than the freely expressed will of citizens.
“Nigeria cannot continue to hold elections where votes are negotiated, sold and purchased while pretending that constitutional democracy is functioning normally.”
HURIWA therefore calls on political parties, civil society organisations, the media and Nigerians to reject the normalisation of vote buying and expose every attempt to commercialise the ballot.
The association reiterates its earlier position that vote buying is not merely an electoral offence—it is an assault on the sovereignty of the people and a form of electoral terrorism capable of destroying constitutional democracy from within.
The 2027 elections must not become an auction in which the highest bidder purchases the future of millions of Nigerians.
A.I
Aug. 15, 2026
Tags: HURIWA osun election
Comments
Start the conversation about this story.