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New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) National Chairman, Agbo Gilbert, has warned that vote-buying and the monetisation of Nigeria’s political system could undermine the credibility of the 2027 elections.
Gilbert raised the concern at the News Central National Chairmen’s Dialogue in Abuja on Thursday, where political party leaders discussed the future of Nigeria’s electoral system.
Agbo said financial inducement and vote-buying remain one of the biggest challenges facing the country’s elections, arguing that the practice could reduce Nigerians’ confidence in the electoral process.
He cited the recent Osun State election as an example, alleging that voters were being offered money in exchange for their votes.
“We saw it manifest in Osun State. The votes were for the highest bidder,” Agbo said.
He said smaller political parties were particularly disadvantaged because they lacked the financial resources to compete with parties in power.
“NRM, for instance, that is not in power was nowhere to be found. NNPP that is not in power at any level was also nowhere to be found because we don’t have the resources,” he said.
Agbo said reports circulating on social media suggested that some votes were being bought for as much as ₦20,000.
“I don’t want to start mentioning figures, but from what we saw on the social media space, we discovered that votes were being bought for as much as 20,000 and all of that,” he said.
He warned that continued vote-buying would reduce the chances of having an election that Nigerians would widely accept in 2027.
“If that’s what is going to continue then, the chances of us having an election that will be widely acceptable to Nigerians is dim as far as 2027 is concerned,” he said.
Agbo said reducing the monetisation of politics would help restore public confidence and encourage Nigerians to participate more meaningfully in elections.
He added that voters would be more confident that their choices on election day would be respected and accurately reflected in the final results.
Agbo also called for greater independence for political parties, saying they should be allowed to resolve their internal disputes without external interference.
“There shouldn’t be any form of external interference, either from the regulating body, which is INEC, or from whatever quarters,” he said.
According to him, political parties “must be seen to be democratic in their true form” and should be able to make decisions and resolve their internal problems independently.
“What we’ve seen in the past is a situation where parties are eroded into crisis, induced from outside and by the time the parties are out of it, see that stability becomes a problem,” he said.
Agbo said the NNPP was only recently emerging from what he described as “almost three and half years of protracted crisis” and was working to stabilise the party ahead of the 2027 election.
The NNPP chairman also advocated constitutional changes to prevent incumbent public office holders from using the advantages of their positions while contesting elections.
He argued that politicians seeking elective office should relinquish their positions to level the playing field.
“Our constitution has to create room for us to have a situation where if you must run for election, one way or the other, you have to leave the office,” he said.
Agbo said such a measure would prevent incumbents from using “the perks and the excesses” associated with their offices to gain an advantage over other candidates.
He said addressing vote-buying, external interference in political parties and the advantages enjoyed by incumbents was necessary for Nigeria to make meaningful progress in its democratic development.
News Central’s National Chairmen’s Dialogue fosters honest, open dialogue about the upcoming elections, offering invited participants a platform to share viewpoints, raise concerns, and explore solutions to Nigeria’s most urgent challenges.
Watch the video here:
NNPP National Chairman Agbo Gilbert says political parties need operational autonomy, free from interference by INEC or other external entities, to prevent instability and ensure credible elections.#NigeriaDecides2027 #NCTownHallSeries #NationalChairmensDialogue pic.twitter.com/Kr4khRfjXq
— News Central TV (@NewsCentralTV) September 10, 2026
