The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is being sued by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) for "failure to prosecute people accused of vote-buying and electoral bribery during the recently concluded Ekiti State governorship election."
Reports claim that during the recently held governorship race in Ekiti, there was a flagrant pattern of vote buying and electoral bribery in some polling places.
According to reports, a political party offered voters in Ekiti up to N10,000 as inducement.
According bendelnews, Biodun Oyebanji, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, received 187,057 votes to win the poll.
However, SERAP is requesting "an order of mandamus to direct and compel INEC to seek and obtain detailed information about reports of vote-buying by the three leading political parties in the 2022 Ekiti State governorship election" in the lawsuit FHC/ABJ/CS/1189/2022 that was filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, last Friday.
In order to "direct and compel INEC to immediately and successfully prosecute those apprehended, and to bring to justice everyone who sponsored, helped, and enabled them," SERAP is requesting "an order of mandamus."
The group contends that affluent politicians and their backers shouldn't be permitted to make money off of their misdeeds.
Before the general elections in February 2023, widespread impunity for vote buying will be put an end by arresting and convicting vote buyers.
Opeyemi Owolabi and Kolawole Oluwadare, two of SERAP's attorneys, filed the lawsuit on the organization's behalf.