The Obidient Movement has strongly condemned the widespread vote buying that marred Saturday’s by-elections, describing the process as a “cash-and-carry” exercise that undermines Nigeria’s democracy.
In a statement issued on Monday by its National Coordinator, Dr. Yanusa Tanko, the movement lamented that elections were once again reduced to an “open market where stolen public wealth is freely deployed to buy silence and compromise the will of the people.”
“This shameful cycle must end,” Tanko declared. “Elections are not supposed to be an auction block for politicians who loot our national treasury. Until we collectively say no to vote selling and buying with a demand for accountability, those who plunder our commonwealth will continue to rule us without fear of reprimand.”
Citing the words of Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, Tanko said:
“Those who buy votes are only buying their way to the treasury to steal public money. They are not better than killers, armed robbers and kidnappers because they are doing the same thing in different ways.”
He further warned Nigerians against selling their votes, stressing that doing so amounts to mortgaging vital infrastructure and public services.
“Those who sell are selling the schools their children should have gone to, the hospitals that will take care of their families, and the roads that should have eased their access. The buyers only seek profit from the seat of power,” he added.
Tanko cautioned that continued vote trading threatens the future of the country.
“We are mortgaging the future of our children, leaving them with no jobs and hunger in the land. If we keep trading our votes for peanuts, we will have no country to call our own,” he said.
The Obidient Movement reaffirmed its commitment to building a new Nigeria rooted in transparency, accountability, and good governance, urging citizens to resist inducements during elections.
