Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, has called on Nigerians to take full responsibility in shaping the country’s future by safeguarding their Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) and resisting attempts by corrupt politicians to buy votes.
Obi, in a post on X, stressed that the power to change Nigeria lies in the hands of the electorate, warning that selling votes is tantamount to selling one’s future.
“The future of our dear nation is in your hands. The greatest strength of democracy is in the voter’s card,” Obi said. “Your PVC is the voice of the voiceless, the shield of the weak, and the weapon of the poor for a better life, against injustice and bad leadership.”
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He urged Nigerians to “get organised and make election rigging difficult” by registering, collecting, and holding their PVCs firmly as the “bridge to a new Nigeria.”
The former Anambra State governor condemned politicians who engage in vote buying, describing them as “criminals in disguise.”
According to him, they only invest in corruption with the intent of looting public funds once they assume office.
“Those who buy votes are not offering you charity; they only invest in their own corruption. They buy votes so that they can buy their way into our treasury to steal public money,” Obi warned.
“Such people are not leaders, they are criminals in disguise. They are no better than killers, armed robbers, and kidnappers, because they commit the same crime of destruction.”
Obi also issued a stern message to voters who sell their votes, cautioning that they are directly undermining their own future.
“To those who sell their votes, you are not just selling an election, you are selling the very opportunities that would have lifted you and your family out of poverty,” he said.
“You are selling the schools that your children should have attended, the hospitals that should save your loved ones, and the jobs that would have given you dignity and a better life.”
He further emphasized that if votes did not matter, politicians would not be desperate to buy them.
“The power to change this country is in your hands, the looters will only loot when we give them the opportunity. Your vote counts, if it doesn’t, they would not be desperately buying that vote,” Obi stated.
Calling for collective action to protect Nigeria’s democracy, Obi urged citizens to vote wisely when the time comes.
“Our democracy is at stake. That is why I urge every eligible Nigerian to register, collect, and safeguard your PVC, and when the time comes, use it wisely,” he said.
“Vote for leaders of competence, character, capacity, and compassion. Leaders who will put you first. Do not be intimidated, do not be deceived, and do not be bought.”
Concluding his address, Obi rallied Nigerians to take ownership of the country’s future: “Let us stand together and prove that Nigeria belongs to the people, not to those who trade our future for their selfish gain. Register to vote, because a new Nigeria starts with you.”
, Peter Obi, has called on Nigerians to take full responsibility in shaping the country’s future by safeguarding their Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) and resisting attempts by corrupt politicians to buy votes.){kind=link}