Former Edo State Governor and senator, Adams Oshiomhole, has described electoral fraud as the worst crime in a democracy, warning that vote buying and the manipulation of election results undermine the will of the people.
Oshiomhole made the remarks on Monday during an interview on News Central’s Politics HQ while commenting on delays in Nigeria’s electoral reforms ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Reflecting on his 2012 re-election as Edo State governor, Oshiomhole said he won in all 18 local government areas without engaging in vote buying, insisting that leadership should be earned through performance rather than inducement.
“I did not give money to anybody,” he said. “I told voters that if my opponent, who allegedly had money to give, offered them cash, they could collect it — no receipt, no refund. But I had no money to give; what I offered was development.”
He stressed that the credibility of elections is fundamental to the survival of democracy, noting that manipulating the process robs citizens of their collective choice.
According to him, Nigeria’s existing electoral laws already provide clear sanctions against vote buying and result manipulation, particularly for officials or candidates who act to subvert the will of voters.
“There are penalties for vote buying and for presiding officers who deliberately act to undermine the electorate or tamper with ballot papers to alter outcomes,” he said.
The former governor added that such offences attract penalties beyond fines, including imprisonment, and apply to all parties involved in electoral malpractice. “On the side of INEC officials, there are penalties. On the side of candidates, there are also penalties,” he said.