Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has launched a blistering attack on the House of Representatives following its rejection of a proposed clause in the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which sought to criminalise vote-buying and inducement during political party primaries. The development has once again exposed what many Nigerians describe as the political elite’s deliberate refusal to reform a system that feeds their own survival at the expense of democracy.
In a strongly worded statement released on Sunday via his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Obi described the lawmakers’ decision as a major betrayal of public trust and a grave setback for Nigeria’s already fragile democratic process. According to him, the refusal to address vote-buying at the level of party primaries is clear evidence that those entrusted with making laws are more interested in protecting a corrupt political marketplace than in safeguarding the future of the nation.
Obi stated that Nigerians had hoped the House would finally confront what he called the “cancer of vote-buying,” a practice that has hollowed out democracy, reduced elections to transactions, and destroyed confidence in leadership selection. That hope, he said, was swiftly extinguished when lawmakers voted down the clause that would have made it a criminal offence to financially or materially induce delegates during party primaries.
He argued that any serious attempt to end vote-buying must begin from the primaries, where candidates are first imposed on the electorate through cash, gifts, and intimidation. According to Obi, trying to fight vote-buying only during general elections while ignoring the primaries is both dishonest and ineffective, because the corruption is already sealed long before the people are allowed to vote.
In one of his strongest lines, Obi declared that a system where votes are bought and sold cannot be described as a democracy, but rather as a criminal marketplace in which leadership goes to the highest bidder. He warned that Nigeria cannot continue on this path and still expect competence, accountability, or development from those who emerge through such a process.
Beyond partisan politics, Obi lamented that vote-buying has now become deeply rooted in Nigeria’s social fabric, spreading into town unions, community associations, clubs, and even student elections. He warned that when corruption becomes normalised at every level of society, the consequences are generational and devastating.
The controversy arose from the House’s clause-by-clause consideration of amendments to the Electoral Act between December 18 and 19, 2025. While lawmakers approved stiffer penalties for vote-buying during general elections, including jail terms, heavy fines, and long-term disqualification from contesting, they overwhelmingly rejected the clause that would have imposed criminal sanctions for inducement at party primaries. That clause would have prescribed a two-year jail term without the option of fine for offenders.
To critics, this selective toughness exposes the hypocrisy of a political class willing to appear reform-minded in public elections while deliberately shielding the internal party processes that are most prone to corruption. As of the time of publication, the leadership of the House of Representatives has offered no official response to Obi’s criticism.
The rejection has reignited nationwide debate on electoral integrity and reform, with civil society groups, activists, and concerned citizens echoing Obi’s position that Nigeria’s democracy cannot be fixed unless corruption is confronted at its roots. For many, the decision confirms long-held fears that those who benefit from a broken system will resist any law capable of dismantling it.
As Obi bluntly put it, a new Nigeria is possible, but only if the country finds the courage to confront these practices honestly and without fear.
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