Former Anambra State governor and Labour Party presidential candidate during the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, has warned that Nigeria cannot claim to be a democracy while vote buying remains its electoral process.

Obi made the statement following a ddecisionof Rthe Representatives’decision criminalise inducements at party primary elections.

In a statement shared on X, Obi said Nigerians had expected lawmakers to take firm action against vote buying, which he described as a long-standing threat to credible elections and national development.

He said that expectation was dashed when the House declined to address inducements at the level of party primaries.

“Any effort to stop vote buying must begin at the primaries. Without addressing the problem at its roots, any measures taken later will lack the strength to endure” he said.

The House of Representatives recently considered relatedals linked to electoral reforms, including pregardingelating to party primaries and campaign conduct.

The lower chamber, however, did not approve measures that would expressly criminalise vote buying during internal party nomination processes, according to proceedings from the chamber.

Vote buying has been repeatedly documented during Nigerian elections by domestic and international observer missions, including reports released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and civil society organisations after recent general elections.

INEC has said inducement of voters remains one of the most difficult electoral offences to police, particularly when it occurs discreetly or outside polling units.

Under Nigeria’s Electoral Act 2022, vote buying during general elections is prohibited and punishable by law. However, enforcement has been limited, with few high-profile convictions recorded since the law came into force.

Party primaries, which determine candidates for general elections, are largely regulated internally by political parties, though monitored by INEC.

Obi said the refusal to criminalise inducements at the primary stage amounted to protecting what he described as a broken system.

He argued that reforms introduced only at later stages of the electoral process would lack durability if the nomination process itself remained compromised.

“A democracy where votes are bought is not a true democracy; it is a criminal marketplace,” Obi said

He also said the practice of inducement had spread beyond formal political elections into other areas of civic life, including town unions, clubs, associations and student elections.

Obi linked this to what he said is an example set by politicians who engage in electoral malpractice without consequence.

The 2023 general elections were marked by allegations of inducement at polling units in several states, with security agencies confirming arrests in isolated cases.

The federal government and INEC have repeatedly pledged to strengthen electoral integrity. In recent months, INEC has renewed calls for collaboration with law enforcement agencies and the judiciary to ensure faster prosecution of electoral offences.

Obi said Nigeria’s democratic future depended on confronting the root cause

“How long will we allow our society to be corrupted when the solution lies in addressing the roots of the problem?” he said.