EFCC raises alarm over sophisticated vote-buying schemes ahead of 2027 elections

Ola Olukoyede, Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission,  has raised concerns over the increasing sophistication of electoral corruption in Nigeria.

He warned that vote-buying networks are adopting covert methods to influence voters ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Olukoyede said the anti-graft agency was already tracking emerging trends in electoral corruption and would intensify efforts to curb vote buying, vote selling and other forms of financial inducement that threaten the credibility of elections.

The EFCC chairman spoke on Wednesday in Ilorin, Kwara State, while delivering the inaugural lecture of the  Guest Speakers’ Series organised by the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies at the University of Ilorin.

The lecture, themed “Mobilising Critical Stakeholders for Setting the Agenda for Peaceful and Credible 2027 Elections in Nigeria,” brought together representatives of electoral institutions, security agencies, civil society organisations, academia and the media to discuss measures for safeguarding Nigeria’s democratic process.

Olukoyede said electoral corruption has evolved beyond the open distribution of cash at polling units, with perpetrators increasingly relying on coded communications, indirect transactions and off-site arrangements to influence voter behaviour.

According to him, investigations by the Commission have revealed that some vote-buying activities are now conducted long before election day and outside official electoral frameworks, making them more difficult to detect.

“Vote buying manifests not just through financial inducement of voters but also through other material and commodity offers. Investigations are pointing to the fact that some of these criminal activities are no longer being carried out in the open.

“They are not even being done on election days. Codes are being used covertly. Linkages are being established with voters outside the electoral frameworks, all in a bid to influence them to follow some fraudulent routes,” he said.

He added that the EFCC was fully aware of these tactics and was prepared to deploy its resources to protect the integrity of future elections.

The anti-corruption chief warned that the growing monetisation of politics poses a significant threat to democratic governance.

He argued that leaders who gain office through financial inducement are often more interested in recovering their investments than delivering on their mandates.

“The EFCC is opposed to commercialisation of votes not only for the reason that it is a financial crime, it weakens the foundation for good governance by compromising the political recruitment process.

“Leaders who pay their way into public office are unlikely to prioritise public good and accountability. Rather, recouping their investments becomes the overarching objective, to the detriment of the common good,” he said.

Olukoyede disclosed that the Commission had secured several arrests, prosecutions and convictions involving politicians, electoral officials and members of the public linked to vote-buying schemes in recent years.

He vowed that the EFCC would sustain and strengthen enforcement actions ahead of the 2027 elections, stressing that electoral corruption remains a financial crime that would be prosecuted without fear or favour.

The EFCC chairman also called for stronger collaboration among critical stakeholders to ensure credible elections, identifying effective law enforcement, issue-based campaigns, responsible media practice, professional security operations and conflict-resolution mechanisms as key elements of a transparent electoral process.

He urged political parties to reject vote buying and other forms of inducement, warning that inflammatory rhetoric and divisive politics have contributed to electoral violence in previous election cycles.

Olukoyede further challenged media organisations to play a more active role in exposing vote-buying networks and other forms of electoral corruption, while urging security agencies to maintain neutrality and professionalism throughout the electoral process.

According to him, coordinated and proactive security arrangements would help reduce electoral risks and strengthen public confidence in democratic institutions.

Earlier, Gbemisola Animasawun,  Director of the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies, said the lecture series was conceived as a platform for identifying and addressing threats to Nigeria’s democratic process ahead of the next general elections.

He explained that the Centre intends to move beyond academic discussions by encouraging practical solutions capable of strengthening electoral integrity, peace and national security.

In his welcome address, Wahab  Egbewole, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, described electoral corruption as a major national security challenge and called for stronger institutional cooperation to combat electoral malpractice.

Egbewole commended the EFCC’s preventive approach to tackling electoral corruption and proposed a partnership between the Commission and the Centre for Peace and Strategic Studies to deepen research, training and policy development on the link between electoral corruption and national security.