The elections into the seats vacated by death in Anambra South Senatorial Zone and Onitsha North 1 State Constituency in Anambra State were everything elections should not be. If anything, what happened was like a bazaar of sorts for many voters who succumbed to the filthy lucre of politicians and sold their consciences for money.
The elections witnessed massive vote buying to an extent never seen before and at the end of the day, the highest spenders won. This is not an attempt to single out anyone or party as virtually all the parties committed this offence according to their capacities in what cast a slur on the entire exercise.
True, this would not be the first time this kind of thing happened. Lately, elections in the country have been taking this hue, with candidates mapping out huge amounts of money for the ”settlement” of voters. This thing even begins from the stage of primary elections. The result is that who wins is not necessarily the best candidate but the best spender. And these are people that will rush to church to give thanksgiving to celebrate their ”win”.
The electorate are also to be heavily blamed, as they usually do not look at those who do not spend. To them, the candidate’s pedigree does not matter or count but their pockets and how deep they are. In some instances, agents of political parties work against their parties because of filthy lucre. It seems they regard elections as the last opportunities for them to make money, forgetting that those who spend that money will equally want to recoup it when they get into office. Thus the vicious cycle of corruption by public officials continues, with the same people who benefited from the cash and carry business being the first to complain.
This trend robs society of virtuous and good leaders, while throwing up wolves in sheep’s clothing whose preoccupation is to loot and plunder. It is really a sad commentary that after many years of democratic experiment we are yet to record any gains. Rather than improve, it keeps getting worse.
This is why an increasing number of Nigerians are giving up on the country, with those who can, leaving the country in droves. Indeed, the various embassies are filled with Nigerians who can’t wait to see the last of the country and all because of the failed system. Regrettably, many of such people are also part of the rot in the system as they contributed in one way or the other to our present situation.
We call on Nigerians to have a change of heart and begin to see elections as opportunities to change the system for good, rather than one to line their pockets for what is only a fleeting relief. It is not enough to call for the enactment of laws prescribing stringent punishments against offenders because such laws had been made in the past without results. So, it behooves us as a people to determine to change our attitude.
All those who shared money in the latest elections in Anambra State should look themselves in the mirror and ask themselves if they are proud of their actions. What happened was a monumental shame, which has once again cast politics in bad light.
May God help us.
