Osun Election: HURIWA demands probe, prosecution of alleged vote-buying financiers

By Chioma Obinna

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called for the investigation and prosecution of alleged financiers and organisers of vote-buying in the Osun State governorship election.

The rights group raised concerns over alleged widespread vote-buying during the election, warning that the practice could undermine the integrity of the electoral process and pose a threat to Nigeria’s democracy.

HURIWA alleged that supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Accord Party had offered prospective voters between N10,000 and N20,000 in exchange for their votes.

It described the alleged practice as “despicable and reprehensible” and criticised what it described as the apparent inability of law enforcement agencies to effectively prevent or stop vote-buying.

National Coordinator of HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Nnadozie Onwubiko, said the organisation had repeatedly warned that vote-buying was evolving from an electoral offence into a sophisticated political enterprise capable of undermining constitutional democracy.

“We warned before now that vote buying was becoming a serious threat to Nigeria’s democracy. What we have witnessed in Osun has elevated that menace to another level and should serve as a wake-up call to every institution responsible for protecting the sanctity of the ballot,” he said.

According to HURIWA, vote-buying should not be treated merely as an isolated offence committed at polling units but as a broader form of electoral corruption capable of distorting political competition and undermining voters’ freedom of choice.

The organisation described the practice as “electoral terrorism against constitutional democracy”, arguing that politicians with greater financial resources could use money to purchase political power.

Onwubiko warned that politicians who spend huge sums to secure electoral mandates could subsequently attempt to recover their investments through access to public resources.

“When a mandate is purchased, governance becomes an investment recovery project. The politician who spends billions buying votes will naturally seek ways of recovering that money from the public treasury,” he said.

HURIWA also expressed concern that widespread poverty and economic hardship could make vulnerable citizens susceptible to financial inducements during elections.

However, the group said political actors and financiers who inject money into the electoral process should bear primary responsibility, rather than economically desperate voters who accept inducements.

It therefore challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and security agencies to investigate alleged vote-buying networks.

HURIWA called for the investigation and prosecution of financiers, organisers and political beneficiaries of alleged vote-buying schemes, rather than focusing solely on individual voters who accept inducements.

It also urged INEC to strengthen mechanisms for detecting and documenting vote-buying before, during and after elections, while ensuring that electoral officials remain independent and impartial.

The group said lessons from the Osun election should inform preparations for the 2027 general elections, warning that failure to tackle vote-buying could result in elections being determined by financial capacity rather than the freely expressed will of voters.

“Nigeria cannot continue to hold elections where votes are negotiated, sold and purchased while pretending that constitutional democracy is functioning normally,” HURIWA said.

The organisation urged political parties, civil society groups, the media and Nigerians to reject the normalisation of vote-buying and expose attempts to commercialise the ballot.

It warned that the 2027 elections must not become “an auction in which the highest bidder purchases the future of millions of Nigerians.”

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