The Independent National Electoral Commission has revealed that aspirants to political offices offer financial inducement to delegates during nomination process and therefore called on civil society organisations to extend their election monitoring efforts to political party primaries.
The INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, revealed this on Tuesday in Abuja at the first quarterly consultative meeting with CSOs for 2025, held at the Commission’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.
Professor Yakubu said there was the need to curb vote-buying and other electoral malpractices, adding that some delegates have openly spoken about the financial inducements they received during the nomination process, an issue that requires greater scrutiny and action.
He confirmed the crucial role CSOs have played in election observation and advocacy, saying their reports have helped in addressing electoral irregularities.
The INEC Chairman told to focus on party primaries, where cases of delegate-buying have been widely reported.
The INEC Chairman stressed, “I would like to urge civil society organisations to be as interested in party primaries as you are actively engaged in the monitoring of secondary elections conducted by INEC. After all, only the candidates nominated by the political parties are placed on the ballot paper for citizens to vote for on election day.
“From your monitoring reports as accredited election observers, you have consistently expressed concern over vote-buying at Polling Units during elections. Some of you have made actionable recommendations on how to curtail the menace which have been favourably considered by the Commission.
“It is time to cast your net wide by focusing on the incidence of delegate-buying by aspirants during primaries. Some delegates openly boasted of how much money they made from aspirants during party primaries. You should intensify your advocacy in support of the practical steps taken by the relevant security and law enforcement agencies to tackle this diabolical practice.”
The meeting comes as INEC prepares for several key elections among which is the November 8, 2026 Anambra State governorship election, with political parties expected to conduct their primaries between March 20 and April 10, 2025.
Yakubu told stakeholders that the timetable and schedule of activities for the election were released in October last year, while the official Notice of Election was published on November 13, 2024, in line with legal requirements.
In addition to the Anambra election, INEC is also preparing for the Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory, set to take place on February 21, 2026.
