Religious leaders in Ondo State have called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to ensure that electoral offenders do not go unpunished in order to discourage the practice of vote-trading ahead of the November 16 off-cycle governorship election in the state.

The clerics spoke on Friday during an interactive session with religious leaders and faith-based groups in the state, organised by INEC in Akure, the state capital.

The religious leaders, drawn from the two main religions, Christianity and Islam, expressed concerns over how politicians dole out cash to trade for people’s votes during elections.

Speaking at the event, the chairman of the League of Imams and Alfas in the state, Sheikh Ahmad Aladesawe, said that voters in the state needed to be cautioned against the recurring act of soliciting money from politicians before casting their votes.

Mr. Aladesawe also explained that INEC needed to intensify its advocacy efforts as the election approaches, emphasising that the commission must ensure stricter punishments for electoral offenders.

“We know people are hungry, but they should avoid collecting money to vote for politicians during elections. We just have to shun the attitude of collecting money to vote. It’s about conscience, and we don’t want to experience voter apathy,” he said.

“As we approach the state’s governorship election, politicians should engage the people with issue-based campaigns. There’s no need to attack political opponents during campaigns.

“It’s better to campaign on issues that matter. In advanced countries, politicians talk about issues affecting the people. We should avoid hooliganism and refrain from heating up the polity.”

Victor Adeola, who represented the state chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Anselm Ologunwa, emphasised the need for INEC to ensure a peaceful election free from violence.

He also urged the electoral body to be fair and transparent, ensuring that the votes of the electorate count.

“We must work towards peace as the election approaches. We’ve been educating our followers, and we want reassurance from INEC that the election will be fair and transparent,” he said.

Oluwatoyin Babalola, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in the state, said the electoral body would continue to engage the electorate on the issue of vote-buying, with a focus on discouraging the act. 

“Our goal is to change the orientation of the electorate through education and engagement. INEC does not participate in vote-buying or selling, and we strongly encourage the political class not to tempt voters with such inducements.

“We are actively working with security agencies. INEC has an Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES), where agencies like the ICPC and EFCC are key members.

“These agencies are fully involved in our discussions and have informed us of the measures they are putting in place to curb vote-buying. Both the ICPC and EFCC are on the ground and ready to play their roles in addressing this issue. We are confident in their ability to tackle vote-buying during the elections,” Mrs Babalola added.