Peter Obi Slams House of Representatives over Refusal to Criminalise Vote Buying

Chuks Okocha in Abuja

Former Anambra State governor and Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Mr. Peter Obi, has criticised the House of Representatives for declining to criminalise vote buying at the level of party primaries.

Obi, in a statement released on Sunday, described the decision as a setback to Nigeria’s democratic reform efforts.

Obi said Nigerians had hoped the House would take a firm stand against vote buying which he described as a major threat to credible elections and national development.

On Dec. 18, the lawmakers, during the clause-by-clause consideration of the report seeking to amend the Electoral Act 2022, voted against a proposal to prohibit the inducement of voters during party primaries.

According to him, Nigerians’ expectation was dashed when lawmakers failed to address the issue at what he called the foundational stage of the electoral process.

Obi argued that refusing to criminalise vote buying during party primaries amounts to protecting a broken system rather than safeguarding Nigeria’s democratic future.

He maintained that credible elections cannot emerge from corrupt foundations and warned that national progress would remain elusive as long as inducement and bribery are tolerated within the political process.

“Credible elections cannot be built on corrupt foundations, and national progress cannot be achieved while inducement and bribery are legitimised in the democratic process.

“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.

Obi described a system where votes are bought as a “criminal marketplace” rather than a true democracy.

The former governor further expressed concern that the culture of vote buying has spread beyond formal politics into town unions, village associations, clubs, and even student elections, as these groups increasingly mirror what he described as fraudulent political behaviour.

Calling for urgent reforms, Obi said Nigeria must confront vote buying boldly and insist that integrity starts from the earliest stages of the electoral process.

He added that while a new Nigeria remains possible, it can only be achieved if the country decisively tackles practices that undermine democratic values.

The House of Representatives on Dec.18 passed the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025, but rejected a proposed clause seeking to criminalise vote-buying during party primaries.

The rejected provision had proposed that any person who financially induces a delegate to influence the outcome of party primaries be sentenced to two years’ imprisonment without an option of fine.

According to Clause 89 (4), which was added during the amendment stage, “a person that financially or materially induces a delegate for the purpose of influencing the outcome of the party primaries, congresses and conventions commits an offence and is liable on conviction to imprisonment of two years without an option of fine.”

The lawmakers, however, overwhelmingly voted against the provision during the clause-by-clause consideration of the bill at the Committee of the Whole presided over by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu.

The rejection of the clause effectively removes criminal sanctions for inducement at party primaries from the amendment.