Former Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) National Commissioner for Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, has faulted Nigerian political parties for what he described as their lack of clear ideological direction and reliance on vote-buying.

Okoye made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, arguing that the conduct of political actors was undermining citizens’ ability to determine electoral outcomes.

He accused political parties of failing to campaign on substantive issues, alleging that some sought to prevent votes from counting on election day. He also criticised practices that subject voters to intimidation, coercion or undue pressure at polling units.

“The mark of a free, fair and transparent election is the ability of the people to go to the polling units to cast their votes without any form of intimidation, without any form of coercion, and without any form of duress.

“But in this country, what we are now having is a situation where political parties have no ideologies, political parties are not campaigning on any issue, all they know is that on election day they will find a way of making sure that the votes of the people really do not count,” he said.

On electoral reforms, Okoye advocated continued improvements to Nigeria’s voting system, including the deployment of technology when appropriate. He also urged journalists, civil society organisations and citizens to monitor the activities of political actors before, during and after elections.

The former INEC commissioner also highlighted the role of temporary election personnel, including members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), in conducting polls at polling units, noting their prominent involvement compared with the commission’s permanent staff.