Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called for an investigation into a viral video allegedly showing members of the City Boys Movement collecting data from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) voters’ register ahead of the 2027 general election.
The organisations said the circumstances surrounding the video should be properly examined, warning that anyone found to have violated the country’s electoral laws should be prosecuted.
The Chairman of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), Debo Adeniran, said it was important to first establish whether the action shown in the video contravened the Electoral Act or the Constitution before drawing conclusions.
Adeniran said the conduct should also be examined from the standpoint of morality and electoral integrity, adding that any established breach of the law should be tested in court.
He also called for scrutiny of the reported N10 million offer by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to individuals who secure victory in their polling units.
According to him, the practice of inducing voters is not limited to one political party, as politicians across party lines have engaged in activities capable of influencing voters’ choices.
He said political decisions should be made freely, without pressure or material inducement.
Adeniran cited the distribution of bread by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as an example of an act that could amount to voter inducement, although he noted that it might not necessarily constitute direct vote-buying.
He called for a review of existing electoral laws to expressly criminalise both overt and covert attempts to induce voters, urging political parties to focus on presenting programmes and projects that would persuade the electorate.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of the Centre for Social and Economic Rights, Nelson Ekujumi, said no individual or group was permitted to give anything to voters in exchange for their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
He described such conduct as illegal but stressed that the viral video must first be investigated and verified before any definitive conclusion could be reached.
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Ekujumi said the alleged conduct should be condemned if established, while calling for sustained voter education to discourage electoral malpractice.
He urged Nigerians not to exchange their votes or PVCs for material benefits, warning that such decisions could undermine their interests for the next four years.
He added that anyone found to have broken the law should face the appropriate consequences.
