Ahead of the forthcoming 2023 general elections, the Nigerians in the Diaspora have called on Nigerian youths to resist any form of vote buying, noting that it had caused eviler than good in the country.
The Nigerian Diaspora Organisation Americas (NIDOA) and the Nigeria Diaspora Network (NDN), spoke during a second edition of the virtual meeting held on Saturday night which was organised by the two groups.
The Chairman, NIDOA/NDN Planning Committee, Mr Sam Atolaiye, said “the essence of the summit was to bring all Nigerian youth together, motivate them, get them involved and give them a sense of direction to drive transformational impact and positive change in the country.
“Let us ensure we vote right. Let us ask politicians questions on how they want to change things for better and how these will be done.
He urged Nigerians to vote based on their ( the politicians’) credibility and not on the amount of money they have.
A panelist and Chief Executive Officer of IIIimite Access, Kemi Roland, said, “Many of the politicians spend money. They give voters money to get into office. And, of course, anybody spending money to get into office sees it as an investment that must be recouped.
“Therefore, every single time voters collect money from a politician, it means they are mortgaging their future.
She stressed that voters need to be educated to refrain from vote buying but, “Unfortunately, citizens in Nigeria have been dehumanised so badly for so many years that it is going to take a lot of time to get this done.
“But I believe it can be done, and until that is done, we may never see any difference in our political landscape. So we need to continue to educate voters that they are the ones that can break this vicious cycle,” she added.
