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The National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bolaji Abdullahi, has criticized vote-buying, saying it reflects the combined effects of poverty and lack of awareness among some voters.
Speaking during an interview on Trust TV, Abdullahi questioned why President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress remain confident of winning future elections. He suggested that poverty could be used to influence voters during elections.
Abdullahi referred to a viral video of a woman who reportedly celebrated receiving N15,000 in exchange for her vote during the recently concluded governorship election in Ekiti State, which was won by the APC.
According to him, the incident showed how financial hardship can make people vulnerable to vote-buying. He argued that while many people may be poor, they should still be able to consider the long-term consequences of selling their votes.
Abdullahi said that when the N15,000 payment is spread across the four years of an elected government’s tenure, it amounts to roughly N10 per day. He maintained that such a small amount cannot adequately address the needs of citizens over several years.
In his words, “I saw a video of a lady who collected and waved 15,000 naira. ‘They have given me 15,000 just for one vote.’ How else can you demonstrate extreme poverty combined with extreme ignorance? That’s probably her happiest day in the month unfortunately. I saw some people break down the 15k it comes to 10 naira per day.”
