Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, has warned Nigerians against selling their votes, describing the practice as one of the gravest dangers to the country’s democratic system.
In a statement shared on his X handle on Tuesday, the former governor of Anambra State said vote-buying is not an act of kindness but a calculated investment in corruption” by politicians seeking access to public funds.
Those who buy votes do so with only one intention, to gain access to public resources, Obi wrote. By bribing voters today, they are purchasing a licence to plunder tomorrow. When they get into office, the money meant for schools, hospitals, roads, and jobs is diverted into private pockets.
Obi argued that while politicians who engage in the act are culpable, voters who sell their ballots are also complicit in undermining Nigeria’s democratic future.
When you exchange your ballot for money or material gain, you are not just selling a vote, you are selling your future, he said. You are selling away the schools your children should attend, the hospitals that should save lives, and the jobs that should lift families out of poverty. In truth, you mortgage your tomorrow for a token that cannot sustain you today.
He stressed that the persistence of vote-buying proves the inherent value of the ballot, urging Nigerians to understand that if your vote had no value, nobody would be desperate to buy it.
According to Obi, the real power lies not in money handed out during elections but in the conscience, courage, and political will of citizens to elect leaders committed to service rather than looting.
The LP candidate called on Nigerians to rise above temporary incentives, reject bribery, and actively participate in the democratic process.
