Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has reaffirmed his rejection of vote buying, declaring that he would rather lose elections multiple times than compromise his integrity by paying voters.
Obi stated this while addressing participants at the 21st Annual Conference of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (ANEC 2025), themed “Reclaiming Our Nation’s Dignity.”
Recounting his experience during a past Anambra State election, the former governor said his media aide had informed him that some community members planned to vote for whoever paid them, regardless of his developmental contributions.
“My answer was clear: I would rather lose ten times than buy votes once. Those who do otherwise may keep their consciences; I will not join them in destroying tomorrow for the sake of a fleeting advantage today,” Obi said.
He lamented that the erosion of moral values and the widespread culture of vote-selling have worsened the country’s challenges, arguing that “when a people sell their votes, they sell their conscience, and when conscience dies, the nation follows.”
“That, my dear editors, is one of the reasons we are now described as a disgraced country,” he added.
The former presidential candidate linked the description of Nigeria as a “disgraced nation”, a term once used by former U.S. President Donald Trump, to internal systemic failures rather than foreign criticism.
“The questions we should ask ourselves are far deeper: are there killings, whether genocide or not? Why the word ‘disgraced’? Is it only the killings, or the culture of impunity that allows them to persist? Is it the insecurity that haunts our citizens, or the failure of leadership to protect them?”he queried.
Obi cited dire socio-economic statistics as evidence of Nigeria’s moral and leadership crisis, noting that over 130 million Nigerians live in poverty, more than 20 million children are out of school, and the country has surpassed India and China in infant mortality rates.
“We are disgraced not merely because of what others say, but because of what we have allowed ourselves to become,” he declared.
Obi urged the Guild of Editors to rise beyond reporting and assume their responsibility as the “conscience of the nation” by demanding accountability and integrity in governance.
“You are not just recorders of history; you are the conscience of the nation. You shape narratives, correct distortions, and remind leaders of the truths they may prefer to forget,” he told the editors.
He concluded by calling for a collective moral revival and a renewed national focus on using public funds for education, healthcare, and development rather than corrupt electoral practices.
“Let us demand that public funds be used to build schools and hospitals, not to buy votes or sustain luxury. If we do these things, we will no longer be called a disgraced country but a nation of dignity,”
Obi stated.
