Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has urged Nigerians to resist vote-buying and treat their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) as weapons of defence against corruption, warning that trading ballots for cash amounts to selling off the nation’s future.
In a passionate message on his X handle, Obi described the PVC as “the shield of the weak and the weapon of the poor,” stressing that no democracy can survive when votes are auctioned to the highest bidder. He likened politicians who pay for votes to “criminals in disguise,” accusing them of looting public funds with the same ruthlessness as armed robbers.
“Those who buy votes are not giving you charity; they are investing in corruption,” Obi said. “Once in office, they recover their investment by stealing money meant for schools, hospitals and jobs. When you sell your vote, you sell your children’s classrooms, your family’s hospital beds, and your own chance at dignity.”
Obi warned that Nigeria’s democracy is “under siege,” but insisted that ordinary citizens still hold the power to save it. “If your vote did not matter, they would not be desperate to buy it. The responsibility to rescue our democracy lies in your hands,” he declared.
He called on Nigerians to register, collect, and protect their PVCs ahead of future polls, while rejecting inducement, intimidation, or deceit. “Vote only for leaders of competence, character, capacity, and compassion,” he said. “Nigeria belongs to the people, not to those who trade its future for selfish gain. A new Nigeria begins with you.”