Vote-buying shouldn’t be replicated in 2023 – Ohanaeze warns Nigerian youth

Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, OYC, has raised alarm on the 2023 general elections.

The apex Igbo socio-cultural organization has reacted to the results of the Ekiti State gubernatorial election, which was reported to have been a show of massive inducement of voters.

It was reported that some voters were induced with as much as N10,000.

The OYC President-General, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike and the Secretary-General, Comrade Obinna Achionye, have via a statement said the credibility of the 2023 polls would be jeopardized by political actors.

“We are saddened by the news coming out from Ekiti State during the Saturday’s guber election won by the All Progressives Congress. Ordinarily, we have no issues with any political party winning an election but our major concern is the heavy inducement of voters during that exercise.

“How can one explain a situation where political parties tried to outspend one another in order to buy the votes? What it means is that the politicians have continued with the same fraud with which they conducted primary elections across the country.

“As youths, we declare that this is unacceptable and a big threat to the credibility of the 2023 general elections. We call on the youths to rise up and say no to the mortgaging of their future. Of what value is the sum of N10,000 for a period of four years? What is the credibility of an election that is sold to the highest bidder?”

It encouraged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to monitor the spendings of political parties.

The group was equally disappointed with the low turn-out of the youth of the state during the election.

“We want to remind the youths that elections are not won on social media. It is not enough to occupy the social media space.

“We observed during the Ekiti election that the youth who voted were in the minority; it should not be so. This must not be replicated during the 2023 general elections. The youths must come out, and vote rightly in order to secure our future,” the group advised.

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