The recently concluded Edo governorship elections was allegedly marred by widespread vote-buying, with voters selling their votes for as high as N20,000 due to poverty.
Labour Party Deputy Governorship Candidate, Yusuf Asamah Kadiri, revealed the shocking truth on AriseTV Morning Show on Tuesday, stating, “What happened during the elections on Saturday was a sheer display of political electoral merchandise… a bazaar of commoditization of votes.”
Kadiri alleged that agents of the ruling party APC and PDP dangled offers of N5,000 and N10,000 to voters, with some APC agents increasing their offer to as high as N20,000 and N30,000. In some cases, other parties’ agents were bought out for amounts as high as N100,000. “Bundles of cash in mints… it was all over the entire state,” Kadiri said.
“This was principally by the ruling party APC. It was as if they were bidding and the electorates fell for it, losing their conscience perhaps due to the high degree of poverty in the land and they could not resist the amount offered”.
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“I witnessed it in my polling unit and some others I monitored. It is a shame. It was so bad that some early voters who voted for Labour Party began to complain that if they had known, they would have waited for their share.”
This phenomenon is not new to Nigeria’s electoral politics. Research suggests that vote-buying is a pervasive issue, with nearly 80% of voters affected. The EFCC had warned against vote-buying, stating that it’s a criminal offense under the Electoral Act, punishable by a fine of up to N500,000 or imprisonment of up to two years.
When asked if he or his party, the Labour Party would join the incoming APC government if called upon to contribute, Kadiri said, “I will not be part of a product of a fraud”.
Consequences of Vote-Buying
– Erodes Trust: Voters who sell their votes may feel compromised, leading to disillusionment with the democratic process.
– Undermining Accountability: Elected officials may feel less accountable to the people, knowing their positions were secured through financial manipulation.
– Perpetuating Poverty: By exploiting poverty, vote-buying perpetuates the very cycle of economic desperation that drives voters to sell their votes.
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