An Assessment of the Impact of EFCC in Curbing Vote Buying in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper is an assessment of the performance of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) on the fight against vote buying in the Nigerian elections. Vote buying is a major problem in the Nigerian electoral system. The phenomenon reached an epidemic level in 2019 when the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) introduced a level of digitalization of the electoral process through the use of permanent voters' card and card reader machines in the Nigerian electoral system. The introduction of card reader machines and permanent voters’ cards reduced the incidences of electoral infractions like 'results writing' and 'impersonation' because the voters are expected to confirm their identities at the polling booths through the authentication of card reader machines. This technological innovation by INEC made the political class to concentrate more on vote buying. The paper shows that EFCC has not been effective in carrying out its duty as the government agency that has the legal responsibility of curbing vote buying in Nigeria.