…Says vote buying fuels poverty, crime
Action Alliance (AA) governorship candidate for the 8 November Anambra election, Chief Jeff Nweke, has appealed to the state’s electorate to shun financial inducements and vote according to their conscience, warning that any politician who resorts to buying votes is “buying a licence to steal from the public purse” and will never be accountable to the people.
Speaking on Sunday after a service at the Hear the Word of God by Fire Church in Awka, Nweke cautioned that those who succumb to cash-for-ballot temptations help perpetuate the very corruption, poverty, insecurity, underdevelopment, and social ills they later lament.
“Nobody with good intentions will give you money to vote for him,” he said. “Vote for the person you are sure will work for you. Vote buying breeds bad governance, and that is why there is poverty, insecurity, underdevelopment, social vices, crime and cultism in the society today.”
The AA candidate criticised what he described as the “unfortunate paradox” in which Nigeria’s GDP figures are said to be improving while the living standards of ordinary citizens continue to fall.
He accused politicians of using GDP per capita as a misleading statistic that fails to reflect the daily realities of the population, pledging that under his administration, economic growth figures would be matched by tangible improvements in people’s lives.
If elected, Nweke vowed to focus on security, agriculture, education, and social welfare, explaining that a functional and inclusive system of governance would strengthen communities and address the root causes of instability.
He added that citizens must take an active role in shaping a better society by participating in the political process and respecting the law.
“Those who buy your votes will steal your money,” he warned. “Reject the temptation today so that you can demand accountability tomorrow.”
