Woman sells vote for 2 wrappers, 2 packs of pasta, ₦3k in Kebbi

An incident of vote buying has been reported in the ongoing supplementary election in Kebbi State as two aged women confessed to having been induced with money, food and clothing items by agents of a political party.

Pulse reports that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is conducting supplementary elections in hundreds of polling units across the country today, Saturday, April 15, 2023, and Kebbi State is of particular interest due to the governorship and a senatorial seat contests to be decided.

However, a video has surfaced online showing two women voters from the North-West state confessing how they sold their votes in exchange for food items, money, and a piece of clothing.

One of the women, who spoke in Hausa language, said someone from the "broom party" gave her "wrapper, two packs of macaroni, and ₦3,000," while the other woman said she got "₦3,000, wrapper and one pack of macaroni."

Although they didn't categorically mention a particular party, the reference to the broom suggests the perpetrator might be an agent representing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) whose symbol is a broom.

Vote buying is a regular feature in elections in the most populous black nation as unscrupulous politicians and their agents usually devise disingenuous means to trick unaware voters into trading their votes.

The electoral commission has made several efforts to stamp out this practice from the electoral process including banning of the use of phones in the polling booths among other measures designed to buck the trend.

Vote buying is a criminal offence in Nigeria and both the buyer and seller are liable to prison sentence if found guilty of the act.