Former Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi has issued a powerful rebuke of vote-buying in Nigeria, calling it a “calculated investment in corruption” that threatens the very foundation of the country’s democracy.
In a post shared on X, Obi argued that politicians who purchase votes are not offering help but securing access to public funds for personal gain.
“By bribing voters today, they are purchasing a licence to plunder tomorrow,” he wrote.
Obi condemned the practice as a strategic move by “looters” who divert resources meant for schools, hospitals, roads, and jobs into private pockets.
“Such people are not leaders – they are looters. Their actions rob our society of dignity, development, and even life itself,” he said.
Obi didn’t spare voters either, asserting that those who sell their votes are complicit in their own disenfranchisement.
“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,” he warned.
He emphasized that the desperation of politicians to buy votes proves the power of the ballot.
“If your vote had no value, nobody would be desperate to buy it. The fact that millions are spent on vote-buying shows that your ballot is priceless,” Obi noted.
Obi urged Nigerians to reject the politics of bribery and embrace the politics of service.
“Let us elect leaders who will build, not loot,” he said, challenging citizens to rise above temporary gain and reclaim the future of the nation.
