The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Osun State, Mutiu Agboke, made the call while speaking with journalists where he questioned the roles played by other stakeholders particularly the media, security agencies, civil society organisations, the political class, and religious leaders during elections. He lamented the increasing violence before and on election day.

He urged key players to wake up to their responsibilities and do what is necessary for the advancement of Nigeria’s democracy.

The REC also called on stakeholders to take the lead in voter education and enlighten the public on the electoral process.

According to Agboke, “So, for us, INEC, we will continue to campaign against the cankerworm of trying to buy the minds of the people. That’s number one. Number two, even if you have the money, people still believe they can deploy violence to gain an advantage.

“There is nothing you can do to curb it other than to continue engaging stakeholders and discouraging them from unleashing terror. We need to continue talking to our people to believe in democracy.”

The electoral commissioner also urged religious leaders and political actors to actively participate in safeguarding the integrity of elections.