“There was pressure by politicians who offered me money to compromise the 2019 general election in Kwara State, but I stood my ground and refused to give in," he said. “The nature of our job at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is too tempting. It is left between you and God to do the right thing and keep your integrity, or compromise and lose your integrity. You may even go to jail.”
Garba Madami, Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Kwara State, has revealed that some politicians in the state approached him to rig the 2019 election in their favour.
Speaking with journalists in Ilorin on Monday, Madami said he rejected the offers and stood his ground on delivering a credible election to the people of Kwara.
“There was pressure by politicians who offered me money to compromise the 2019 general election in Kwara State, but I stood my ground and refused to give in," he said.
“The nature of our job at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is too tempting. It is left between you and God to do the right thing and keep your integrity, or compromise and lose your integrity. You may even go to jail.”
The Kwara REC lamented the money politics being played in Nigeria and the effrontery of politicians in their attempts to buy votes and bribe electoral officers to do their bidding.
“The politicians have money and some of them feel that they can buy anybody with the money," he said.
“It is a matter of integrity; it is left for you to be careful and work transparently to keep your integrity.
“What I did in Kwara State before the elections was to go on air and tell the people that no amount of money can buy me. I made them understand that their votes would count and I was not ready to compromise.
The All progressives Congress (APC) won all the elections in Kwara, clearing all 24 state House of Assembly seats and all three senatorial slots, highlighted by the loss of Senate President Bukola Saraki, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to Ibrahim Oloriegbe.