Dogara comes hard on FG over Trader Moni

Speaker of the House of Representative, Mr Yakubu Dogara has said that the disbursement of funds to the public, just few weeks to the 2019 general elections

The Speaker made this known, while addressing a public hearing on vote-buying organised by senate and house of representatives committees on electoral and political party matters.

Dogara also lamented the “alleged use of the officials of the electoral umpire, INEC, and officers of security agencies to induce, or intimidate and coerce voters to vote a particular candidate. ”

In his words

“It is instructive to note that the electoral act anticipated and captured most forms of electoral fraud including inducement and vote buying. I hope we will have the courage at this event to address the distribution of cash to the public very close to general elections by public officials.”

“I am afraid that such endeavors no matter how noble the intentions behind them may fall within the all encompassing provisions of  S. 124 (1)(a); (b); (c); and S.(124)(2)(4)(5) and S. 130 of the electoral act.

“Although penalties are not stringent, there is also lack of political will to implement the laws as it is even if it were to offer feeble deterrence to violators. Arrest are hardly made and even where arrests are made, prosecutions are unheard of.

“A more worrisome dimension to vote buying is the alleged use of the officials of the electoral umpire, INEC, and officers of security agencies to induce, or intimidate and coerce voters to vote for particular candidates.

“Such absurdities have been widely reported in the media and confirmed by some local and international observers in respect of the recently concluded governorship elections in Osun state.  As expected, all lovers of democracy worldwide rose to condemn these despicable incidents.

“Condemnation is not enough, it will amount to hypocrisy, if we don’t take the bull by the horn by taking concrete steps to eliminate these evils that make mockery of our hard worn democracy.”

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