A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State, Mr Kodilinye Okelekwe has identified poverty and ignorance as some of the reasons vote-buying during elections thrives in Nigeria.
Okelekwe, a senatorial candidate of the party for the Anambra Central zone, who spoke during a stakeholders meeting said poverty is the real reason people do not consider the loss of four years, instead will prefer paltry sums to cast their votes.
“Vote buying is now an issue in the election process, but we know that it is a passing phase. Before now, it used to be ballot box snatching, but innovation in the election process has phased that out.
“Today, it is vote buying, and we know that too will pass someday. Vote buying is made worse by poverty and ignorance. Someone will not consider the good education, good healthcare and many other dividends that come from good governance, but will rather insist on collecting money to vote.”
The senatorial hopeful lamented that vote buying was one of the reasons a party like APC with its over 450,000 members in Anambra can not poll enough votes to win the state.
“I have analysed the membership of our party in the state and found that we have over 450,000 members, yet people have won the governorship of this state with less than 200,000 votes. So why can we not poll our votes together and make a governor?” Okelekwe queried.
Earlier, a professor of Political Science in Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Prof Charles Arinze Okoye delivered a lecture on party loyalty among members of political parties.
Okoye also corroborated the claims of Okelekwe, stating that “poverty is the reason vote buying is thriving in Nigeria today. There is no election in Nigeria where you will not see canvassers soliciting for votes and giving money.
“That is where we need the media to sensitize the people of the dangers of selling their vote. For every vote you sell, you are enthroning bad leadership and incompetent people.”