Vote buying is a way of life in Nigeria - Baba-ahmed
Datti Yusuf Baba-ahmed, a former Presidential aspirant of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), has said said that vote buying has become an acceptable way of life in the Nigerian society.
Baba-ahmed, speaking at the Daily Trust Dialogue session, themed ‘Youth and Democracy- The Nigerian Challenge’ held in Abuja, said that the youth remain the major players in the business of vote buying and vote selling as it is seen as a normal practice in Nigeria’s electoral process.
“We have fraudulently elected leaders who see and encourage vote buying as a way of life in the nation’s electoral process; majority of those who sell their votes are the youth, and they are often overlooked,” he said.
According to Baba-ahmed, “Bad governance has led the average Nigerian youth into modern slavery as they are often robbed of their rights by the leaders; the youth are often the victims of sustained mis-governance, abuse of rule of law and wrong nar- ratives.”
“The Nigerian youths are helpless consumer of the negative garbage from the failed government. Good behaviour is strange to the average Nigerian youths but they have been made to embrace corrupt practices as a normal way of life, the average Nigerian youth believe in amassing wealth through short cuts,” he further said.
Maryam Uwais, special adviser to the President on Social Protection Plan, stressed that the Nigerian youths are often treated with disdain by the older generation which has led to destabilisation of democracy in Nigeria, adding that over 60 percent of the Nigerian population are youth which should be given a voice in the nation’s democracy.
“We must ensure that our youths are actively involved in the process of selecting our leaders, the narrative that the young people do not understand the election process is not true and can be debated”.
She also said that Nigeria today is full of a huge number of marginalised youths who do not have the means to participate in the election process hence has become tools in the hands of politicians, adding that there is need to develop policies that will impact the youths.
Speaking on the challenges faced by youths in politics, she said there is disparity between voting age and eligibility to run, stressing that thegovernment should develop plans to empower youths and increase their participation in politics, and ensure protection of the rights of every Nigeria youth.
“The not too young to run bill is indeed a milestone for the youths in Nigeria; we must ensure equitable environment that promotes youth participation in Nigeria politics. Finance and experience are critical for prominent positions in Nigeria’s leadership which may be a challenge to the youth but there is need to continue in the fight,” he said.
Samson Itodo, coordinator, ‘NotTooyoungtorun’, said that it is disheartening to note that the Nigeria policy makers still sees the youth as problem that needs fixing rather than assets that should be nourished, stressing that this has had more adverse effect on the Nigerian society in recent years.