A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra State, and the candidate of the party for Anambra Central Senatorial District, Mr Kodilichukwu Okelekwe has identified poverty and ignorance as some of the reasons, why vote-buying during election is thrives in Nigeria.
Okelekwe, who spoke during a stakeholders meeting of members of APC in the state said poverty is real the reason people do not consider the loss of four years, instead will prefer paltry sums to cast their votes.
“Vote buying is now an issue in election process, but we know that it is a passing phase. Before now, it used to be ballot box snatching, but innovation in election process has phased that out.
“Today, it is vote buying, and we know that too will pass some day. Vote buying is made worse by poverty and ignorance. Someone will not consider the good education, good healthcare and many other dividends that come from good governance, but will rather insist on collecting money to vote.”
He lamented that vote buying was one of the reason a party like APC with its over 450,000 members in Anambra can not poll enough votes to win the state.
“I have analysed the membership of our party in the state and found that we have over 450,000 members, yet people have won governorship of this state with less than 200,000 votes. So why can we not poll our votes together and make a governor?” Okelekwe queried.
Earlier, a professor of Political Science in Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Prof Charles Arinze Okoye delivered a lecture on party loyalty among members of political parties.
Okoye also corroborated the claims of Okelekwe, stating that “poverty is reason vote buying is thriving in Nigeria today. There is no election in Nigeria that you will not see canvassers soliciting for votes and giving money.
“That is where we need the media to sensitize the people of the dangers of selling their vote. For every vote you sell, you are enthroning bad leadership and incompetent people.”
In the same vein, the secretary of APC in Anambra, Mr Chidi Orji stressed that APC is more than ready for the forth coming election in the state and called on the people of the state to queue behind the party so that Ndigbo will be relevant in national politics. He said that the candidate of the party in Anambra Central Senatorial District, Chief Kodilichukwu Okelekwe remains a force to reckon with in the up coming Election in the state. He therefore called on the people of Anambra Central Senatorial District to aling themselves with the vision of their candidate for a better furture.