Politicians collected our account numbers without paying, Niger voters cry out

Voters in Niger State have accused politicians of deception by collecting their account numbers before the presidential and National Assembly elections without paying them. Mrs Felicia Sunday told City & Crime that their account numbers were collected by various political parties but that two weeks after the polls they were yet to receive the money […]

Voters in Niger State have accused politicians of deception by collecting their account numbers before the presidential and National Assembly elections without paying them.

Mrs Felicia Sunday told City & Crime that their account numbers were collected by various political parties but that two weeks after the polls they were yet to receive the money they were promised.

She said, “Our account numbers were collected during the presidential and National Assembly elections and up till now we’ve not heard anything. Some parties promised us N5,000,” adding that, “These politicians are deceitful people. I can’t just trust them again.”

She, however, noted that some parties shared food items like rice, spaghetti, Maggi and salt.

Mallam Danjuma Mohammed shared a similar experience with our reporter, saying that account numbers were submitted during voting.

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Mr. Philip Nma, another voter, said he submitted his account to an agent of one of the political parties, who promised to send him N5,000 after the poll but have not done so up till now.

He said many of the voters had decided not to listen to any of them during the forthcoming gubernatorial polls.

A Point of Sale (POS) operator told our reporter that some voters brought dollars to him to buy a day after the presidential and National Assembly elections.

But speaking on the conduct of the voters,  a retired police officer, Mr Sunday Ajeromi, told City & Crime on phone that it was a criminal offence for them to collect money in exchange of votes, saying that is what the law refers to as vote selling or buying, which is criminal.

He said instead of them complaining, the law enforcement agents should have arrested and prosecuted them accordingly.

The retired police officer noted that it was a serious offence in the Electoral Act to either buy or sell votes and urged the populace to desist from such in the interest of the nation’s democratic development.