Catholic Bishops' President Urges Nigerians to Reject Vote-Buying, Says People’s Will Must Prevail

In brief

Archbishop Matthew Man-oso Ndagoso, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria, urged citizens to reject vote-buying and vote-selling ahead of the 2027 general elections. Speaking during the opening ceremony of the second plenary meeting of the conference in Osogbo Diocese on September 13, the Archbishop of Kaduna said the electoral process must reflect the genuine will of the people.

Archbishop Ndagoso called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct transparent, free, fair, and credible elections. He warned that distrust in the electoral process and fears that votes will not be counted could lead to low voter turnout. To prevent this, he asked INEC to make voter cards readily available to all eligible Nigerians and to remove obstacles that prevent citizens from voting.