Taking campaign against vote-buying to the grassroot

In Kogi state, a group that is averse to the incidence of vote-buying is embarking on a door-to-door campaign against it. SALIHU OYIBO reports.

No doubt, voting buying has become a major issue during primaries and general elections in Nigeria.


Apparently, one of the major consequences of vote- buying and selling during election is that it create avenue for the emergence of a wrong candidate which most often results in poor performance and rot in the country.


Irked by this ugly development, an international election monitor, Ambassador Hamzat Lawal recently commenced door-to-door sensitisation of electorates at the grassroots on the need for them to reject any forms of inducement from politicians before and during elections.

Connecting with the grassroot

At a town hall meeting in Magongo community, Ogori-Magongo local government area of Kogi state, Amb Lawal who is also the executive director, Connected Development, a civil society organisation paid a royal visit to Olumagongo of Magongo, Chief Sam Bola Ojo, before he proceeded to the town hall.
Addressing the electorates at Mangongo community, Amb Lawal stressed that vote-buying and selling remains one of the biggest threats to a smooth transition in 2023. He therefore urged the anti-graft agencies to tackle the menace through arrest and prosecution of offenders.
According to him “Election is around the corner and as we go out for electioneering campaign, we must have at the back of our mind what we want and who would represent us and those we would give our votes to. Our decision should be led by value, vibrancy and competence that would bring about service to the people.


“We should also consider issues that affect us as people and as community. We must tell those that would come to us for campaign that before now, a lot of politicians have come and made promises, but they reneged on those promises.
“The politicians would soon come again with their usual promises, but this time around, tell them that you don’t want money or items such as cloths, rice, maggi, onion, among others. I am here today to educate and sensitize you on the need to depart from the way we do things during electioneering campaign.


“Democracy is about the people and we must ensure that it is for us by giving our support and votes to someone that would value our support and not the type that would go away till another four years when it is time for him to seek re-election”
He further called on the civil society organisations, the media, anti-corruption body as well as other security agencies to play their roles to jointly curb vote-buying and selling during elections.


While cautioning the community, Lawal stressed the need to work with traditional and religious institutions to amplify the message at the grassroots in order to do away with vote buying and selling.

Appeal to security agencies

Speaking on insecurity, the rights activist said one of the biggest threats to 2023 general elections is insecurity, saying that there is break down of not only law and order but also the value in the society.
He therefore disclosed that Connected Development is committed to deploying 20,000 observers to monitor the 2023 elections, as well as women participation in the elections and issues affecting them.
He noted that the organisation in its published quarterly security dossier reported that over 3,000 people lost their lives within six months in the country, a development he described as a threat to democracy and the general elections.
He emphasised the need to engage the communities, sensitise them and transfer knowledge, stressing that the meeting was to sensitise the electorates on the need to conduct themselves peacefully and vote rightly during the 2023 general elections.
He noted that the time has come when electorates should look beyond money politics but base their votes on credibility and capacity of the candidates contesting elections; therefore charged the electorates to focus on issues that affect them collectively, while noting that with such stand the people would have justice, fairness and equity in the nation’s democracy and politics.


Amb Lawal who also took the sensitisation to Upogoro/Odenku ward, his country home in Okene local government area of the state, charged his people to go out and collect their Permanent Voters Card (PVC), saying their power to choose and elect leaders of their choice lies in PVC.


“The youth of Nigeria are made up of over 50 per cent of registered voters and that clearly shows the youth are in a better position to decide who becomes the next president, governor, senator, House of Representative members and state Houses of assembly members.


“With our PVC and with the current INEC new electoral law, it means that power has now been transferred to the grassroots especially with the electronic transmission of results.


“So today, we are sensitising and educating people to organise themselves because with your PVC, you would not only change the cause of Nigeria, but the history. On our part as organisation, we would use our skills, knowledge, time and little resources to continue to educate, organise and sensitise the people on issues that bother on elections.”
Lawal who described vote buying and selling as a criminal act charged the police to work in synergy with INEC , EFCC and ICPC to apprehend and prosecute perpetrators in order to serve as deterrent to others.


While urging security agencies to play their roles of providing adequate security to enable INEC discharge their duties creditably, Amb Lawal appealed to politicians not to interfere with the mandate of INEC.


“As we go into campaign and elections the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should remain independent and as civil society organisation, we would continue to hold INEC and political actors accountable” he said.

Royal appeal

Apparently, the Olumagongo of Magongo Chief Ojo who was excited over the sensitisation of voters in his domain appealed to politicians to bear in mind that in politics, there must be sincerity, love and understanding, stressing that the use of money to buy victory has been a cog in the wheel of progress of Nigeria.
The royal father lamented the effect of vote selling and buying and urged the electorates across the country to do the needful during the forthcoming general elections.


“I have told my people not to pursue wealth at the detriment of their peace and comfort. There is nothing rice, maggi, omo and cloths can do for any body; instead it would further impoverish you for four years. If you have regard for yourself, you would not run after what can not add value to your life. We must have faith in God that created us,” he said.

Educationist speaks

Also speaking, an educationist from the community, Mrs Ahmadu Rukaiyat pointed out that the future of their children lay in the hands of the parents and charged them to collect their Permanent Voters Card (PVC) in order to change the narrative for better.


“The country has enormous resources to better the life of the citizens of this country, but bad leaders were often voted into power every four years after collecting a token from them; they will push us into this mess where we can no longer feed, cloth and educate our children.
“I am appealing to women in Magongo and the neighboring communities to go to INEC and collect their PVC in preparatory for the 2023 election.”


Bilkisu Ahmed, a primary school teacher and community leader at Upogoro community commended the organisation for the pre-campaign sensitisation while assuring that women in the ward would heed the advice of not selling their votes during elections.


She used the occasion to advise youth that are usually used to cause electoral violence to have a rethink, saying that the politicians that use them cause electoral violence their children are in abroad studying and enjoying themselves.
One of the youth leaders in the community, Usman Abdulsalam expressed confidence that the sensitisation would go a long way to minimise vote selling and buying during elections.


He pointed out that the meeting is an eye opener to the negative effect of selling votes to politicians that have nothing to offer in return. He assured that henceforth, their votes would be based on capacity, competence and antecedent of candidates.


“There is no doubt that vote-buying tends to corrupt the electoral process as leaders that emerge from the criminal act have to recover their investments first, before fulfilling their campaign promises to the electorates.


Therefore, INEC should look inward by liaising with relevant anti-graft agencies to tackle the menace of vote buying and selling before it pollute the nation’s electoral process and thereby rendering Nigeria democracy useless.