The groups who gave this warning in a press conference in Oshogbo, the state capital tasked the security agencies, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other stakeholders to save Nigeria from democracy assassination being perpetuated by those they called desperadoes across party lines.
Civil society organisations, the Human Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) Resource Centre and Women Advocates Research & Documentation Centre (WARDC) have warned electorates in Osun State against trading their vote during the governorship election.
The groups who gave this warning in a press conference in Oshogbo, the state capital tasked the security agencies, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other stakeholders to save Nigeria from democracy assassination being perpetuated by those they called desperadoes across party lines.
In their separate speeches, the chairman of HEDA, Olanrewaju Suraju, advised the people of Osun that as they go out on Saturday to exercise the franchise they should not sell their votes no matter the amount.
Suraju said “We urge the electorates to come out en-masse to cast their votes and be part of selecting their own leader for the next four years through a credible electoral process. This God-given right should be honoured and not traded. It is not a commodity to sell, but a right to be exercised. Selling vote is criminal, casting it is the ideal. We commend the role of EFCC during the recently conducted Ekiti Election."
While lamenting that vote-buying remains the biggest threat to a credible election in Nigeria, he maintained that its implication is far reaching.
"It makes difficult calling leaders to account since they paid their ways to the position
occupied and beyond that, it affects the economy and living conditions as leaders would have no moral obligation to make life better for the citizens.
"You must be resolute and vote conscientiously regardless of the potentials for inducement which will be tantamount to selling their future and that of their children for immediate gains, a situation which will obviously result in an even worse socio-economic situation than they currently have," he advised.
On her part, the Executive Director of WARDC, Dr. Abiola Akiode-Afolabi, said Saturday's election would be yet another test for Nigeria’s democratic consolidation and its fidelity to laws and rules guiding the electoral process.
Akiode-Afolabi stated that the Ekiti Governorship election was rattled with gross allegations of reckless vote-buying so much that it triggered reaction from the authorities.