Reject money politics, vote buying – Group appeals to electorate

The Crusaders’ Advocacy Initiative (CAI) has urged electorate to deliberately reject money politics, vote-buying, and selling in the electoral process, to savage the nation’s electoral and governance systems. The National President of CAI, Mr. Cletus Uwakina, made the call in a statement in Abuja on Friday. Uwakina, a rights activist, who expressed worry over the rising monetisation and commercialisation of the political processes, said the situation would further boost corruption, breed incompetence in leadership and further advance underdevelopment. According to him, the obviously increasing money politics would further hinder the emergence of credible leaders in governance. “This development undermines the future of our country and its hope of recovery. “The electorate must understand the importance of their votes, with the instrumentality of the ballot, the Nigerian electorate has the ultimate power to rescue Nigeria and reorder the nation. “The Nigerian electorate must deliberately make a resolve to reject money politics, vote buying and selling, bribery and corruption in the electoral process as a way of saving this nation. ” We must resolve to vote the right candidates at all times, in all elections. “Pathetically, to become a leader in Nigeria today, you don’t need education, you don’t need integrity, you don’t need skills and competence, all you need to have is money. “Once you have money, you are a leader and sycophants will sing your praise to high heavens and ensure that you emerge, so long you are willing to part with a paltry portion. ” This trend cannot continue and should stop. “We call on the Nigerian masses and the Nigerian electorate to reject vote buying and monetisation of the electoral process. ” Our leaders and the average Nigerian politician should have the fear of God and think about the future of this nation,” he said. According to him, the bloated cost of nomination forms of leading political parties is an extortionist mechanism and a deliberate agenda by the ruling elite to exclude the poor masses and average Nigerians from attempting the seat of leadership in the country. “How can a man who paid through the nose to get nominated and eventually have to spend more money to buy the votes of the electorate at the general election, not feel entitled to recoup his expenditure or investment. ” All hands must be on deck in the resolve to bring an end to the ugly anathema of money politics and commercialisation of vote.” Uwakina noted that the eradication of undeserving money politics in the electoral and governance processes would usher in the required leaders and ultimately bring about solution to the leadership challenges in Nigeria.