Obasanjo indicts INEC with bribery allegation, details emerge

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo recounted how his former political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), faced defeat in a local government election in Ogun State in 1998.

He disclosed this during a high-level consultation in Abeokuta on 'Rethinking Western Liberal Democracy in Africa.'

Obasanjo revealed that party leaders had suggested allocating funds for the police and Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), but he rejected the proposal.

His refusal stemmed from his belief that INEC officials and police officers were government employees receiving monthly salaries.

Addressing politicians and academics at the event, Obasanjo expressed discomfort with the term 'Nigerian factor' in discussions about democracy and development issues.

Obasanjo's allegation against INEC

He explained that he first encountered this phrase during the initial local government election when his party lost due to allegations that he did not consider the 'Nigerian factor' in the election planning process.

As reported by Daily Trust, the ex-President said:

“When things go wrong, you said the Nigerian factor. The first thing I learnt in politics was this thing I called Nigerian factor. In 1998, we had the first local government election.

"We had parties, and here in Abeokuta, we met in my office and they came up and said, ‘look, this is money for INEC, money for police.’ At a stage I said, ‘what nonsense! Is police not being paid, and INEC too?"

Emphasising the need for realism, the former President pointed out that individuals facing hunger might be inclined to sell their votes for as little as N1000. He said:

“When you are hungry, whatever anybody tells you cannot go in. Poverty is a great enemy of democracy. Ignorance or lack of education is a great enemy of democracy. And we seem to be deliberately fomenting poverty and lack of education.”