Anambra guber and menace of vote buying

The outcome of November governorship election in Anambra state might be decided by pre-election vote buying and selling.  I must lament that, voters in Anambra state are now searching for the highest bidder among the political camps to sell their vote to. Following my on-the-spot assessment, a number of voters interviewed insisted that the only […]

The outcome of November governorship election in Anambra state might be decided by pre-election vote buying and selling. 

I must lament that, voters in Anambra state are now searching for the highest bidder among the political camps to sell their vote to.

Following my on-the-spot assessment, a number of voters interviewed insisted that the only thing which would make them to vote, is if a contestant agrees to pay an amount for the vote. 

Pre-election vote buying is now a major determinant of the outcome of an election in Nigeria. The decamping of politicians few days before election is pre-election vote buying. 

Votes are bought before the day of election. The decamping of politicians from PDP, APC, APGA etc is an occurrence of vote-buying which is understood as incentives or gifts given to voters before elections in exchange of their votes. Vote buying is no longer an isolated action and it perpetuates corruption throughout the entire political system.

Obviously in Nigeria, money politics and pre-vote buying have taken the centre stage in our political activities. This is because, parties and candidates have shown by their conduct during political campaigns, that good party manifestoes and integrity of candidates jostling for public offices are no longer sufficient to guarantee electoral success. Thus, the resort to pre-Vote-buying. On the other hand, the electorates too have obviously demonstrated cynical electoral behavior by the readiness to sell their votes to the highest bidder. This uncharitable behavior or practice constitutes a blemish on public policy and the electoral process. 

In fact, it portends dangers to the democratic process of electing officers and in turn prevents good governance. While it may be difficult to eliminate the phenomenon of money politics and vote-buying, its negative consequences on the Nigerian polity can be minimized. Criminal gangs could be mobilized to cause tension in Anambra for political gains. This is pre-election vote buying.

Beyond individual voters searching for willing buyers to sell their votes to, it is similarly disturbing that candidates for next month election are decamping less than two weeks to election. I am worried about decamping and that this puts a partisan coloration to decamping politics, just as it would motivate politicians in the opposing camp to engage in similar means to woo voters with incentives, which flout the provisions of the Electoral Act. Security agencies must remain vigilant in checkmating illegal voter inducement before and after elections. 

Anambra election is another litmus test of Nigeria’s commitment to organising credible polls; I must observe that the electoral environment in the state had continued to be gripped by needless partisan tension. 

Inwalomhe Donald writes Awka, Anambra State