Blessing Otobong-Gabriel and Stella Okwuchukwu
A human rights' activist and presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, AAC in the 2023 general elections, Omoyele Sowore has said that politicians have inflicted a lot of mental stress and physical injuries on our people, saying they have waged war against Nigerians for so long physical warfare, spiritual as you may call it, and hunger poverty warfare.
Sowore who disclosed this during a one day sensitization programme "titled vote in peace, theme curbing vote buying and other election irregularities a panacea to a successful 2023 election organised by advocacy for good ethics and accountability for development".
The AAC presidential candidate noted that the peace accord is an accord signed to stop war, and for any country to ask contestant to sign a peace accord that means the country has come to a realization that election is war.
According to him, Participants in this war should have to sharpen their sword during the process of election that what it means and that’s what Nigerians are demonstrating in this war, adding that "We have already started seeing the effects of the war assassination and all kind of high level threat both up-line and online happening in Nigerian elections.
He said, "the people who you are expecting to end vote buying in Nigeria today are the ones buying votes.The second aspect, which is a misconception by some Nigerians, that you can actually collect money from politicians and not vote for them, politicians are not stupid. If you are going to take their money, they will take your blood, people should understand that.
"So all those who are going around misleading people that just take their money, politicians are way too dangerous for you to collect their money, which is not their money to collect your money and vote for them, they've already put in place strategies to ensure that if you don't vote for them, you pay heavily for it".
He said the solution is to remove this kind of characters from our political system. Because otherwise, we're just wasting your time, he said.
"Nigeria did not become like this overnight, it was planned by the political class. And when I say political class, the military is also part of the political class, security services, Institutions are part of the political class, you can imagine that the universities or the university lecturers we are fighting for today are also going to engage in election rigging in 2023".
"Also the INEC has a lot of unclaimed PVC that are sold illegally to rig election, there is no way out of this until people realize that those who engage in this cause problem of poverty
Speaking, the Executive director, Advocacy for good ethics and accountability for development, comrade Henry Thomas said the future of this country is not in the hands of any political party, it is not in the hands of any individual but it is in the hands of the people of Nigeria and most importantly the electorate and as such, we are using this medium to cry out to Nigerians to Vote rightfully and peacefully.
He advised Nigerians not to lose hope in the system, they shouldn’t sell vote, they shouldn’t engage in any form of violence or irregularity that may mar the success of the 2023 election.
"it would interest you to know that desire of every Nigerian is to see a better Nigeria, a Nigeria where you will turn on the light and behold there will be light, a Nigeria where you will turn on the tap and water will flow, a Nigeria where you will go to the market and your resources will be able to afford your needs, a Nigeria where education if not free, it will be cheap a Nigeria where people will fall sick and get adequate treatment, a Nigeria where the people will ply good road and get easy access to various places.
Thomas said what every Nigeria needs is a breath of fresh air, but that interest can never come to pass if we hate each other, if we cannot leave in peace with each other, if we cannot elect selfless leaders, if we cannot leave with each other beyond ethnic and religious sentiments.
In the same vein, President Civil Society Groups for Good Governance, CSGGG, Comrade Ogakwu Dominic commended the organizers, saying this is what we should have been doing a long time now and during the eve of election's that we begin to strategise on how to solve the issue of vote buying.
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