Petition For EFCC, ICPC To Probe Vote-buying, Selling During Atiku, Tinubu’s Emergence Primaries Hit Change.org

A change.org petition demanding end to vote-buying and selling in Nigeria’s electoral process and also demanding probe of source of funding for the presidential candidates of the two leading political parties, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is currently getting some attention at the international petition advancing platform.

www.bigpenngr.com reports that the online petition created by a US-based human rights activist and social crusader, Mr. Smart Ajaja, is pushing for an end to vote buying and selling in the forthcoming 2023 general election.

The petition came on the backdrop of alleged dollarized party primaries of the two main political parties in the country.

The petition, is also asking the national assembly to pass a bill that will truly make Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) truly independence.

Ajaja said that he created the petition because he want to see an end to the darkness in Nigeria and hence he launched the “Open Nigeria Consciousness Movement” long before now to advanced the cause.

The petitioner is asking EFCC, Police, INEC, DSS and ICPC to investigate all the presidential aspirants, including Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar to determine those who bought votes during the parties primaries.

The petition reads; “Election after election in Nigeria has become progressively worse with planning, process, execution and outcomes because of frauds, corruption and government manipulation/interference with the activities of an uninsulated and dependent independent electoral commission whose leadership and staff are mostly corrupt”.

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The petitioner said that because of an elite-imposed poverty, citizens are vulnerable to “selling their votes during party primaries and during general elections to those with stolen money but with absolutely nothing to give them and the country through leadership.

“We at Open Nigeria are alarmed by the flagrant use of money by some presidential aspirants of our country’s two biggest parties PDP and APC to buy delegates during their just concluded ridicule of party primaries that produced two questionable characters with everything but leadership to Nigeria and its suffering people if not challenged and stopped now.

“The emergence of Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC and Atiku Abubakar of the PDP as the presidential candidates of their respective parties through massive vote-buying in the presence of INEC officials and security agencies is a criminal violation of Nigeria’s laws with special reference to its electoral laws in which there is no provision for buying votes but instead, punishments for vote-buyers and sellers.

“This criminal act that has suppressed the emergence of better qualified candidates from the two parties involved is a gross violation of the basic human rights to choice of the people of Nigeria who will be denied the opportunity more choices during the general election if nothing is done by the EFCC and the INEC to investigate and remedy it before the February 2023 date scheduled for the general election.

“We therefore demand of the EFCC, Police, INEC, DSS and ICPC to move to investigate all the presidential aspirants, including Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Atiku Abubakar to determine those who bought votes and also, summon all the party delegates for questioning to identify those of them who sold their votes for prosecution according to the laws of Nigeria.

“We demand of the national assembly to prove its independence and commitment to working for Nigeria and Nigerians by passing a bill that will truly make INEC, EFCC, and ICPC truly independence to work for everyone in addition to passing two urgent bills with contents for “Independent candidacy and Diaspora voting”.

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“Nigeria, a great country has now become such a ridiculous sovereign and territorial embarrassment. We can’t take it anymore. We deserve an “Open Nigeria”. Take the next step!’, the petition reads.

Click (here) for the petition.