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Ekiti Poll: Prosecute Vote-Buyers In Seven Days Or Face Legal Action, SERAP Tells INEC
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has issued a seven day ultimatum to Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, to probe alleged vote-buying, undue influence, intimidation, ballot box snatching, and other electoral offences by the three leading political parties in the just concluded Ekiti State governorship election.
SERAP also urged INEC to “promptly and effectively prosecute those arrested, and bring to justice anyone who sponsored, aided and abetted them.”
In the letter dated June 18, 2022, and by SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said: “Corruption of the ballot box intrudes on the freedom of Nigerian voters to make up their own minds. Vote buying and other forms of electoral corruption freeze out the less wealthy candidates and parties.”
SERAP said, “Wealthy candidates and their sponsors ought not to be allowed to profit from their crimes. We are concerned that impunity for vote buying and electoral bribery is widely prevalent in Nigeria, as perpetrators are rarely brought to justice”.
According to SERAP, “If voting is as important as INEC always claims it is, now is the time to end the buying of democracy by wealthy politicians and their sponsors”.
The letter, read in part: “Vote buying encourages poor governance and weakens citizens’ capacity to hold their ‘elected officials’ accountable for their actions.
“When political candidates or their sponsors decide to buy the support of the people rather than contest fairly for their votes, there are possibilities that such candidates and sponsors will show a disregard for democratic rules and a disposition to adopt illegal means becomes inevitable.
“Vote buying is entirely an act of election malpractice connected with vested interest since an election can be said to be free and fair when it is devoid of vote buying, ballot snatching, and intimidation.
“Your commitment to these issues will demonstrate to the voters that INEC is ready, willing and able to combat vote buying and electoral bribery and reassure Nigerians that INEC will do everything within its mandates to ensure that the 2023 general election are not tainted by corruption.
“SERAP is concerned that the failure of INEC to rein in vote buying, electoral bribery and intimidation is illustrated by the fact that the body has not seriously addressed similar incidents in previous elections.
“Vote buying and electoral bribery is a threat to fair and representative elections. Vote buying amounts to undue influence and improper electoral influence.”
According to SERAP, “Agents of the three dominant political parties in the state, namely All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP), were reportedly involved in buying votes across the state. According to reports, agents of the three parties in Ward 007, PU 001, Ado LGA offered voters as high as N10,000 in exchange for their votes.
“There are also several reports of ballot box snatching including in polling units with codes 13/05/06/005 and 007 in Ilawe Ward IV, near St. Patrick’s School. In several voting units, party agents for the APC, PDP and SDP reportedly clustered around the voting cubicle and saw how voters marked their ballot papers.
“Vote buying and electoral bribery, intimidation of voters, ballot snatching and other electoral malpractices and offences undermine the ability of INEC to discharge its responsibilities under Section 153 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and paragraph 15(a) of the Third Schedule of the Constitution, and the Electoral Act 2022.
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within seven days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel INEC to comply with our request in the public interest.”
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says it has not commenced recruitment for the 2025/2026 Basic Military Training Course (BMTC) and Direct Short Service Commission (DSSC).
The Director, Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, in a statement yesterday, described the advertisement as fraudulent.
Ejodame said that no such recruitment exercise is currently ongoing, urging the public to disregard those messages in their entirety.
“We wish to remind the general public that the Nigerian Air Force recruitment and enlistment processes are free, transparent, and merit-based.
“The NAF does not charge any fee at any stage of its recruitment exercise, and does not engage third parties or agents for enlistment.
“Whenever a recruitment exercise is to be conducted, it will be officially announced and widely publicised through credible national dailies, the NAF official website, and its verified social media platforms.
“We therefore urge members of the public to be wary of online scams and exercise extreme caution when coming across unofficial recruitment advertisements,” he said.
Ejodame also advised the public to always rely on NAF’s official social media handles for accurate and up-to-date information regarding its activities.
According to him, official NAF communication channels are: https://www.facebook.com/share/1735SmRdMo/ https://x.com/NigAirForce?t=1263ETdBwkuqewt-rSuyIg&s=09 https://www.instagram.com/NigerianAirForce https://youtube.com/@nigerianairforcehq?feature=shared
https://www.airforce.mil.ng/ “The Nigerian Air Force is committed to integrity, transparency, and efficient service delivery to the nation while projecting air power to save lives and properties of all Nigerians,” he added.
No fewer than 9,469 admissions across 20 tertiary institutions nationwide have been flagged as fake by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) for the 2024 academic session.
According to the board, the admissions were conducted outside the popular Central Admission Processing System, popularly known as CAPS.
According to the list obtained from JAMB, Kano State University of Science and Technology led the pack with 2,215 fake admissions, with Ladoke Akintola University of Technology following with 1,215.
Others are Gombe state University, 1,164; Emmanuel Alayande University of Education, 761; Federal University of Technology, Owerri, 534; Ambrose Alli University, 514; Igbinedion University, 365; Akwa-Ibom Polytechnic, 340 and College of Nursing, National Orthopedic Hospital, Igbobi, 281.
Also on the list are Achievers University, 267; Nigeria Police Academy, 263; Abia State Polytechnic, 256; Osun State University, 224; Federal University, Lafia, 189; Niger State Polytechnic, 182; Federal Polytechnic, Ida, 171 and Edo State Polytechnic,166.
Others are Anchor University, 133; Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, 116 and the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, 113.
CAPS was introduced to enhance transparency and efficiency, and serves as an online platform where prospective university students can monitor and manage their admission status.
By centralising the admission process, JAMB CAPS ensures that all candidates are given fair consideration based on merit and institutional requirements.
The primary purpose of JAMB CAPS is to streamline the admission process into tertiary institutions across Nigeria. It achieves this by ensuring transparency as candidates can easily track their admission status, and guarantees that all applicants are evaluated based on consistent criteria.
The system also enhances efficiency as institutions can process admissions swiftly, and candidates receive timely updates on their application status.
The board has, over time, warned institutions against backdoor admissions offered to candidates outside CAPS, as candidates offered admission outside CAPS were barred from the mandatory National Youth Service Corps scheme.
Recall that the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, reiterated a directive in Abuja at the 2025 policy meeting of JAMB last week, declaring all admissions conducted outside JAMB as illegal.
He said institutions and individuals involved in such practices would be prosecuted and severely sanctioned.
“Any admission conducted outside CAPS, regardless of its intentions, is illegal.
“Both institutions and the candidates involved in such practices will be held accountable.
“Sanctions may include withdrawal of institutional assets and prosecution of culpable officers or governing council members,” he said.
The National Orientation Agency (NOA) says it will soon unveil a National Values Charter (NVC) to serve as a social contract between the Nigerian government and its citizens.
The Director-General of the agency, Malam Lanre Issa-Onilu, disclosed this in Abuja, yesterday at a one-day workshop on “Civic Responsibility and National Values for Voluntary Organisations”.
Issa-Onilu was represented by Dr Olukemi Afolayan, Director of Civic Values and Democratic Education at the agency.
He said that the charter would articulate the responsibilities of both the government and citizens towards nation-building.
“We are at a pivotal moment as a country.
“The challenges facing Nigeria range from insecurity, corruption, poor civic engagement, moral decay, and apathy in democratic processes.
“These require, not just governmental intervention, but active citizen participation,”he said.
He said that voluntary organisations had historically played key roles in moral reawakening, youth mobilisation and community development, dating back to the colonial period.
According to him, the NOA under the current leadership, has intensified efforts to fulfill its core mandate of value reorientation.
He said that the agency did that with the launch of several campaigns, including the National Identity Project approved by the Federal Executive Council in 2024.
“President, Bola Tinubu, is expected to formally unveil the National Values Charter.
“It defines the ‘Nigerian Promise’, the government’s commitment to equality, democracy, entrepreneurship, peace, inclusivity, freedom and meritocracy,” he said.
The NOA D-G said that the Charter would also highlight a ‘Citizen’s Code’ calling on Nigerians to embrace discipline, duty of care, tolerance, leadership, accountability, environmental awareness and resilience.
He urged voluntary organisations to support the campaign and serve as role models in their communities to promote patriotism and public trust.
Also speaking, Mrs Rhoda Sadus, Deputy Director of Civic Values and Democracy at NOA, said that the Charter was a critical component of a broader National Identity Project aimed at global reputational management.
“This is the first time any Nigerian organisation is targeting global reputational management through strategic media engagement, including broadcasts on international channels like CNN,” she said.
Sadus said that NOA was engaging Nigerians in the diaspora and working closely with other agencies, including the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM), to promote a unified national identity.
“When the Director-General assumed office, he emphasised the need for Nigeria to define and project its identity.
“The National Values Charter was conceived to outline the responsibilities of both the government and the citizens, a departure from past initiatives that only targeted citizens,” she added.
She said that the agency would soon begin training public office holders on national values as part of the post-appointment orientation process.
“We believe that when both the government and the people fulfill their obligations, national development will follow,” she said.
In his remarks, Dr Mohammed Dambo, Commander of the FCT Man ‘O’ War, said the initiative offered an opportunity for Nigerians to unite under a common agenda for national progress.
“If America became what it is today through collective agreement and commitment, Nigeria can do the same.
“We need to stop gaslighting our leaders and start promoting a culture of excellence, patriotism and civic responsibility.”
He called for the values to be transferred to the younger generation as part of efforts to restore hope and pride in the country.
The Tide source reports that the workshop attracted the presence of representatives form Boys Scout Association of Nigeria, Girls Guide Association of Nigeria and Man O’ War Nigeria.
Others were Red Cross Society of Nigeria, Boys Brigade Nigeria, National Cadet Corps (School-Based) and War Against Indiscipline (WAI) Brigade.
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