2019: Human Rights Community sensitizes voters against vote buying

A group, the Nigerian Human Rights Community (NHRC), has begun sensitization of the electorates on the importance of their votes and their expectations from political leaders, educating the electorates on why they should avoid voting for candidates who pay for their votes.

NHRC in Lagos complained of incidence of vote buying by politicians gaining acceptance during elections.

NHRC Director of programmes, Taiwo Adeleye, in a media interaction, stated: “We are particularly concerned about the new mode of corruption which comes with bribing the electorate with huge sums of money on the voting day. We think this represents the most dangerous form of threat since the independence of Nigeria in 1960.

“It is the highest form of corruption that can becloud any country.

“This has been clearly demonstrated in the recent elections held in Ekiti and particularly in Osun State.”

The group cautioned that bribing of the electorate is the worst form of bribery that can bedevil a country.

The Programme Director decried: “We should remember that in 1999, Nigerians had a lot of hope after 27 years of brutal rape of the country’s economy during which her values were totally destroyed and the dignity of the country famished by one of the world’s atrocious military leaders.”

He said he would take the advocacy to the grassroots population – to worship houses, markets and schools to discourage people from being induced on election days.