Former Anambra state governor and Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has expressed deep disappointment over the House of Representatives’ failure to criminalise vote buying at the level of party primaries.

Obi said Nigerians hoped lawmakers would finally confront what he described as the “cancer of vote buying”, but that expectation was quickly dashed.

In a strongly worded statement shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Obi warned that Nigeria’s democracy is being destroyed from its very foundation.

According to him, refusing to tackle inducement at party primaries amounts to protecting a broken system rather than securing the country’s democratic future.

“Credible elections cannot be built on corrupt foundations, and national progress cannot be achieved while inducement and bribery are legitimised,” he noted. The former governor described a system where votes are purchased as “a criminal marketplace”, insisting that such a process strips democracy of its true meaning.

“You Can’t Build Credible Elections on Corruption”

Obi argued that any serious attempt to end vote buying must start from the earliest stage of the electoral process, warning that reforms introduced later would be weak and ineffective if corruption is already entrenched at the primaries.

He stressed that elections conducted on corrupt foundations cannot produce credible leadership or sustainable national progress.

“Credible elections cannot be built on corrupt foundations, and national progress cannot be achieved while inducement and bribery are legitimised,” he noted.

The former governor described a system where votes are purchased as “a criminal marketplace”, insisting that such a process strips democracy of its true meaning.

Beyond party politics, Obi warned that the culture of vote buying has now spread into other areas of Nigerian society, including town unions, student elections, clubs, and community associations.

He said this troubling trend shows how deeply electoral corruption has infected the nation, with younger generations increasingly copying the behaviour of politicians.

“Disturbingly, the culture of vote buying has now trickled down even to town unions, village unions, clubs, associations and student elections,” he said.

Calling for urgent reform, Obi insisted that integrity must begin at the very start of the electoral process if Nigeria is to reclaim public trust and democratic credibility.

He urged lawmakers and political actors to confront vote buying boldly rather than legitimising it through inaction.


Reps reject proposal to criminalise vote-buying during party primaries

The House of Representatives has on Thursday, December 19, rejected a proposal to criminalise the inducement of voters during party primaries.

The lawmakers voted against a clause proposing that anyone who financially induces a delegate to sway the outcome of party primaries would face two years’ imprisonment, with no option of a fine. But legislators unanimously voted against it when Benjamin Kalu, the presiding officer, called for a voice vote.

Inducement of delegates, in which aspirants often offer cash or material benefits to influence votes at congresses and conventions, is a recurring feature of party primaries in Nigeria. The practice is primarily driven by the delegate-based primary system, which concentrates power in the hands of a small group of party members.