Poverty, Ignorance, Reason Vote-buying Thrives in Nigeria, Says APC Chieftain

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...Says vote-buying a phase that will pass away A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State, Mr. Kodilichukwu Okelekwe, has identified poverty and ignorance as some of the reasons vote-buying during election is still thriving in Nigeria. Okelekwe, a senatorial candidate of the party for Anambra Central district, who spoke during a stakeholders’ meeting of members of the APC in the state, said poverty is the real the reason people do not consider the loss of four years, instead will 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 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 reason a party like APC with its over 450,000 members in Anambra cannot poll enough votes to win the state. "I have analysed the membership of our party in the state and found out that we have over 450,000 members, yet people have won 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 Okelekwe’s claims, stated that "poverty is the reason vote buying is thriving in Nigeria today. There is no election in Nigeria that you will not see canvassers soliciting for votes and giving money. "That is where we need the media to sensitise the people of the dangers of selling their votes. For every vote you sell, you are enthroning bad leadership and incompetent people."

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