A strong warning has been issued to anyone planning to buy votes in Nigeria’s upcoming general election.
The punishment for vote buyers who wish to engage in such practices at the polls next year has been revealed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The commission stated that if voter buyers are caught and found guilty, they will be sentenced to one year in prison or fined N500,000.
WITHIN NIGERIA reports that Professor Muhammad Lawal Bashar, the INEC commissioner in Jigawa State, made this disclosure to pressmen while fielding questions ahead of the election.
Bashar stated that the commission is ready to conduct all elections using the BVAS machine in order to ensure free and fair elections.
According to the Jigawa commissioner, the state has received over 156 permanent voter cards (PVCs), which the commission in the state is still distributing until 22 January 2023.
“The machine will identify voters going to vote, and those who have registered more than once will not be able to vote,” he said.
He urged everyone who had registered in the state to get their voter cards before the deadline.
Bashar revealed that the commission has devised a special plan to make voting easier for people with special needs, the elderly, and pregnant women.