Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has urged Nigerians to shun vote-selling, warning that vote-buying remains one of the gravest threats to democracy.
In a statement shared on his X page on Tuesday, the former Anambra State governor stressed that selling or buying votes can never be regarded as an act of kindness.
The 64-year-old described the practice as a deliberate investment in corruption, noting that politicians who purchase votes do so solely to secure access to public funds.
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Obi cautioned that any vote sold today effectively grants a licence to plunder tomorrow.
He added that once such politicians assume office, the funds intended for schools, hospitals, roads, and job creation are quickly diverted into private pockets.
“Such people are not leaders—they are looters. Their actions rob our society of dignity, development, and even life itself. But those who sell their votes are not innocent either. When you exchange your ballot for money or material gain, you are not just selling a vote—you are selling your future.
“You are selling away the schools your children should attend, the hospitals that should save lives, and the jobs that should lift families out of poverty. In truth, you mortgage your tomorrow for a token that can not sustain you today”, Obi noted.
He argued that looters could only steal when given access, stressing that if votes held no value, no one would be desperate to buy them.
He said, “The fact that millions are spent on vote-buying shows that your ballot is priceless. The real power does not lie in their money. It lies in your conscience, your courage, and your vote. The choice is ours.
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“We either keep selling our votes and remain trapped in poverty and bad governance, or we rise above temporary gain and reclaim the future of our nation. Every Nigerian must take responsibility. Let us reject the politics of bribery and embrace the politics of service. Let us elect leaders who will build, not loot.”
