Frankly speaking, if we could remember, tvote trading was witnessed and carried out candidly during conducting primaries of the two leading Nigeria’s political parties, and nobody has condemned it. This silence over squandering billions in foreign currencies has sent a clear-cut signal of encouraging vote-buying in the country.
It is evident that the primary objective of the spotless democracy is to safeguard and promote rights, interests and welfare of the masses through the distribution of the dividends of democracy. But, it seems, in this forecasted rising scaring dust-storm of 2023 vote trading may destroy the principal purposes of unspoiled democracy and change its course since Nigeria’s politicians are now turning seeking political office into an investment anticipated to bring back what they have spent before going back to the voters.
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The attention of Nigeria’s voters should be brought to realise that the exchanging their votes with little funds or food items is tantamount to selling their patriotic sailing-boat of tying their political leaders’ hands preventing them from delivering meaningful democratic dividends and culminating in rubbing salt into the wound of their ineffable multifaceted abject poverty.
Nigeria’s democratic agents have been failing Nigerians since the return to a multiparty democratic system of governance in 1999. On the other hand, Nigerians are currently thinking of shattering their infantile democracy’s illusions in 2023 via selling their valuable votes to parochial and unpatriotic leaders. Nigerians are supposed not to exchange their votes with little funds or food items. They should rekindle their spirit of patriotism by voting in competent leaders.
The days of Nigeria’s cataleptic democracy are numbered as long as voters keep trying to smother it by selling their vote. This democracy is now being distancing from its pristine fundamental principles and is gradually turning into government of funds, by the funds and for the funds.
All eyes are now on the National Assembly waiting for their speedy passage of the National Electoral offences Commission and Tribunal Bill passed for the second reading on June 30aims to arrest the menace of vote trading.
I, therefore, call on the INEC to continue to increase public awareness about serious hazard of engaging in vote-buying in democratic media platforms. It should also raise the alarm and bring voters’ attention to the fact that selling their votes to candidates is tantamount to distancing from elected political leaders and exchanging their anticipated welfare, dividends of democracy and developmental projects to be executed by those vicious candidates, with little funds.
The voters should also be awakened to realise that they could only be liberated from formidable waves of insecurity striking the country, political parochialism, grinding poverty, women and girls income inequality, when they shake their heads to reject funds to be given by vote-buyers of political agents and candidates’ supporters at the polling units.
Mustapha Baba Azare, Alkali Musa Street, Bauchi State,
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