The Independent National Electoral Commission has expressed concern over the continuous increase in the number of political parties in the country, saying that the development will create confusion for voters.
INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun State, Mr. Olusegun Agbaje, told our correspondent in Osogbo that voters would likely be confused on the party and the candidate to vote for as about 91 political parties would be contesting the 2019 general elections, a situation he said would make the ballot paper lengthy.
Agbaje said even the political parties themselves appeared confused as some of them now bear the same acronyms.
While saying that the upsurge in the number of political parties was not a challenge to the commission, Agbaje said INEC had made attempt to de-register parties that couldn’t win any seat at the last general elections, but some people took the umpire to court and
stopped it.
He said Osun was blazing the trail as a state to produce the highest number of political parties for the governorship election, saying 48 governorship candidates were jostling to succeed Governor Rauf Aregbesola.
Agbaje promised to ensure that Osun election would be transparent, credible, free and fair because Nigerians were looking up to the governorship poll as a yardstick for next year general elections.
The REC lamented the inability of security agents to arrest vote sellers and buyers at polling booths, saying INEC was embarrassed by the attitude.
He said there would be training for the security agents and the 15,000 personnel of the INEC before the Osun poll.
Agbaje warned politicians against taking money to polling booths and also advised the electorate against snapping their ballots paper after casting their votes as the commission would not hesitate to arrest anyone indulging in ‘see and buy votes.’
The INEC boss assured that the September 22 governorship election in Osun would be free of vote -buying.
He said, “There is possibility that the increase in the number of political parties will create confusion among the electorate. It’s not a challenge to INEC, but to the voters. There were times we cancelled parties that couldn’t win any seat but some took INEC to court and stopped it. Card reader has made elections to be transparent, but if the law enables us (INEC) to go for electronic voting, INEC is ready to do it. We are making arrangements to reposition the voting cubicle so that ballot papers cannot be shown to another person after thumb-printing on it.
“We are also looking at putting one of the three security officers closer to the cubicles so that showing of ballot papers would be prevented. We are working with INEC headquarters to see how we can prevent voters from taking their phones into the cubicles. This is to prevent them from taking pictures of their ballots, with a view to exchanging it for money.
“We have also spoken with the Commissioner of Police and heads of other security outfits, to go round the polling units during the elections and arrest anybody buying or selling votes. In the same vein, I will also be going round the polling units too and arrest people who engage in vote buying, as there is something called civilian
arrest.”
Agbaje further said, “It is embarrassing to have three security agents at a polling unit and vote buying still takes place right in their presence. We have been talking with politicians because if they don’t bring money to the polling units, no electorate will be selling his or her vote. According to law, vote-buying is a serious offence.
“We want to curb malpractice at the polls with the Osun election so that it won’t escalate to 2019 general elections. This election in Osun State will determine how next year’s general elections would be and we want to make it the
best so far.”