The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has criticised the House of Representatives for refusing to criminalise vote-buying at the grassroots level of party primaries.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, the former Anambra State governor said Nigerians had hoped lawmakers would take a firm stand against vote-buying, a practice he said has long undermined democracy and tarnished the nation’s credibility.
However, he said that hope was quickly extinguished as the House chose to protect a broken system rather than safeguard the nation’s future.
“Credible elections cannot be built on corrupt foundations, and national progress cannot be achieved while inducement and bribery are legitimised in the democratic process.
“Any effort to stop vote-buying must begin at the primaries. Without addressing the problem at its roots, any measures taken later will lack the strength to endure,” Obi said while reacting to the ongoing amendments to the Electoral Act 2022 by the House of Representatives.
According to Obi, a democracy where votes are bought is not a true democracy but a criminal marketplace.
THE WHISTLER reports that the House of Representatives had rejected a proposal to criminalise the inducement of voters during party primaries.
Lawmakers voted against the proposal on Thursday during the clause-by-clause consideration of a report seeking to amend the Electoral Act 2022.
The clause proposed that anyone who financially induces a delegate to influence the outcome of party primaries would face two years’ imprisonment without an option of a fine.
Clause 89(4) of the amendment report states: “A person who financially or materially induces a delegate for the purpose of influencing the outcome of party primaries, congresses and conventions commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment for two years without an option of a fine.”
However, legislators unanimously voted against the clause when Benjamin Kalu, the presiding officer, called for a voice vote.
In his post, Obi further said the culture of vote-buying has trickled down to town unions, village unions, clubs and associations, as well as student elections, all emulating fraudulent politicians.
“How long will we allow our society to be corrupted when the solution lies in addressing the roots of the problem?
“Nigeria deserves better. We must prioritise reform. The future of our democracy must not be for sale,” he said.
Obi added that a new Nigeria is possible, but only if Nigerians insist that integrity begins at the very start of the electoral process and confront such practices boldly.