Revolution: Vote buying will soon phase out like ballot box snatching Anambra APC candidate


The Senatorial Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Anambra Central District, Chief
Kodilichukwu Okelekwe has identified general poverty and ignorance as major reason for vote-buying during elections in the country, positing that with the current trend of events the ugly phenomenon will soon phase out.

Okelekwe, who spoke during a stakeholders' meeting of members of APC in the state, said poverty was real the reason people would consider the loss of four years but would rather prefer paltry sums to cast their votes.

He said,“Vote buying is now an issue in election process, but we know that it is a passing phase. Before now, it used to be ballot box snatching, but innovation in election process has phased that out.Today, it is vote buying, and we know that too will pass some day. 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.”

He said vote buying was one of the reasons a party like APC with its over 450,000 members in Anambra could not poll enough votes to win elections in Anambra 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 governorship of this state with less than 200,000 votes. So why can't we pool our votes together and make a governor?", Okelekwe wondered.

Earlier, a professor of Political Science in Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Charles Arinze Okoye delivered a lecture , titled, "Party loyalty among members of political parties."

Okoye corroborated the claims of Okelekwe, stating that “poverty is reason vote buying is thriving in Nigeria today. There is no election in Nigeria that you will not see canvassers soliciting votes and giving money.

“That is where we need the media to sensitize the people of the dangers of selling their votes. For every vote you sell, you are enthroning bad leadership and incompetent people," Okoye stated.