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Former Anambra governor and presidential candidate Peter Obi has criticised the House of Representatives for its decision not to criminalise vote-buying during party primaries, describing it as a major setback for Nigeria’s democratic development.
In a post on his X handle on Sunday, Obi said many Nigerians had hoped the House would take a firm stand against vote buying, a practice he described as a long-standing threat to credible elections and national integrity. According to him, that expectation was dashed when lawmakers declined to address the issue at its foundation.
He argued that by refusing to outlaw vote buying during party primaries, the House of Representatives had chosen to preserve what he called a “broken system” instead of protecting the future of the country and warned that credible elections cannot emerge from corrupt processes and that national progress remains unattainable while inducement and bribery are tolerated within the democratic system.
The former governor maintained that any serious attempt to end vote buying must begin at the primaries, stressing that reforms introduced only at later stages of elections would be too weak to produce lasting change. He described a system where votes are traded for money or favours as a “criminal marketplace” rather than a true democracy, insisting that Nigeria deserves better.
He also expressed concern over what he described as the spread of vote-buying culture beyond formal politics, noting that similar practices are now evident in town unions, village associations, clubs, and even student elections. Obi warned that this trend reflects the negative example set by political actors and raises urgent questions about how long society will tolerate such practices taking root.
Calling for bold reforms, Obi said the future of Nigeria’s democracy must not be for sale. He concluded by reiterating his long-held position that meaningful change is possible only if integrity is enforced from the very beginning of the electoral process, adding that a new Nigeria can only emerge if the country confronts vote buying at its roots.
