A member of the House of Representatives, Awaji Inombek-Abiante, has said vote buying will fail in Nigeria if voters remain determined to elect candidates of their choice.
Inombek-Abiante, who represents Andoni/Opobo Federal Constituency in Rivers State, made the statement during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday.
He said elections lose credibility when voters abandon conviction for money or material inducement.
Vote Buying Loses Power With Determined Voters
According to the lawmaker, inducement has little effect when citizens vote based on belief and competence.
“How do you stop vote buying? If the citizens decide to elect who they believe in, inducement or no inducement won’t matter much,” he said.
He warned that voters often pay a heavy price after accepting inducement.
“If somebody comes and gives you money or induces you with material things, you go and vote and you don’t believe in the ideology of that person; it’s just for that moment, and you will suffer the consequences for a very long time,” he added.
Rivers Rep Compares Nigeria With ECOWAS Elections
Inombek-Abiante said he had observed elections in some ECOWAS countries and noticed fewer electoral challenges.
He linked Nigeria’s problems to low trust in the electoral process.
“There is a deficit in the trust level; that is why somebody will go to vote, and another person will want to inflate figures at the polling unit,” he said.
Call for Integrity and Strong Safeguards
The Rivers lawmaker urged Nigerians to reject vote buying out of personal integrity, not fear of punishment.
“As Nigerians, I think we should build our integrity to the point that we reject these things on our own, not because it is in any act or law,” he stated.
He also called for safeguards that allow competent candidates to contest elections without depending on wealth.
According to him, leadership should emerge from credibility and public trust, not deep pockets.
“If Nigerians appreciate this fact, they don’t need to accept any inducement on their own,” he said.
