Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, says bad governance is responsible for the “widespread” vote buying recorded in the Anambra state governorship election.
The former Anambra governor spoke on Saturday at Polling Unit 019, Agulu, Anaocha LGA, after casting his vote.
Obi expressed concerns over the increasing level of financial inducement among voters, saying reports indicated that votes were being traded for between N15,000 and N30,000.
It is sad that bad governance is fuelling vote buying and selling,” he said.
For an unemployed youth who sells his vote for ₦30,000, what will he be paid next month when there is no election?
“By selling your vote, you are saying no school, no hospital, no jobs and selling away your future. This is worrisome.”
He called on journalists to play an active role in exposing and curbing the menace.
The former presidential candidate also described all the hopefuls in the governorship race as his friends.
Whoever wins, let him serve the people. Nigeria needs service now. We need to pull our people out of poverty,” he said,
Earlier, George Moghalu, LP governorship candidate, said despite the heavy deployment of security personnel for the election, he had received reports of widespread vote-buying.
He also described the trend as “most unfortunate”, and warned that the crime undermines the integrity of the electoral process.
Moghalu added that he remains optimistic on the outcome of the election, as he had campaigned extensively and presented his manifesto to the electorate