Feb. 25: Desperate politicians plot ‘Election Eve’ vote-buying via money transfer

Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi

Despite high hopes that the introduction of the bimodal voters’ accreditation system (BVAS) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the naira redesign policy of the federal government will eliminate the perennial malpractice of buying of votes in this year’s general election, indications have emerged that the aim of these initiatives might still be defeated.

Whispers suggest that some politicians desperate to win either the February 25 presidential/national assembly election or the March 11 governorship/state assembly election have invented another method of buying the electorate’s votes without attracting attention.

It was gathered that these politicians plan to use this new method, known within their circle as MTP (Money Transfer Payment), to buy over voters because of the scarcity of the naira.

A member of one of the major political parties in Rivers State confided in TPCN on Su that names of eligible voters in the various polling units have been compiled for the purpose.

According to this member of a major political party, ward leaders, polling unit leaders and party agents have been mobilised and instructed to reach out to all registered voters in their units and wards secretly and collect their bank account numbers.

This major political party source further explained that once a voter is reached and an assurance is extracted from him or her to vote a candidate or candidates of that ward or polling unit leader’s political party, money will be paid into that voter’s account on the eve of the election day.

He explained that for Saturday’s presidential election, so many voters will receive alerts on Friday.

The source, who refused to mention his name and the name of his political party, expressed dismay over the ongoing naira scarcity which he said has subjected many people to hardship because of a few politicians allegedly being targeted through the new cash policy.

He then boasted: “CBN thinks they’re wise but real politicians are wiser because they always know how to manoeuvre to achieve their desire.”

Since the Central Bank of Nigeria introduced the new naira policy, many politicians, especially governors, have been kicking against it.

But their effort to frustrate the cash swap and old currency mop-up exercise has remained futile so far, as the federal government insists that the policy will not only check vote buying but will also curb inflation and insecurity.

However, President Muhammadu Buhari had, in his recent broadcast on the issue, allowed the N200 note to remain a legal tender till April 10, to ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians.