voting My neighbour just told me a secret he said he had been guarding jealously since 2011. he said it in baited breath, in husband tone, “my vote was paid for in 2011 by one political party (name withheld)”.
It was quite a revelation and my countenance showed it was.
“How? For how much?”
again, in hushed tone, he said,
They paid me N15, 000 just for my vote, but I know the stakeholder had received more for it, that is the go between who negotiated on our behalf. So many others were also paid between N15, 000 and N30, 000.00” He said in a whisper
Now that got me thinking. Why the disparity? Above all, why are votes sold and when did it become a matter for the highest bidder? Where have I been?
Of course, the President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan himself said that ‘they’ have been buying and selling votes since 1960, but anyone would wonder, how is that possible in a democracy?
I did a mental assessment: we are all queuing up, our voters’ cards in our firm grips, and then one man comes by, wads of envelop in hand and he starts asking everyone who would they vote for? I don’t understand it. how does it work? if someone says something contrary in response to ‘who would you vote for?” what would the man who has been commissioned to share the largesse do? Would he begin, at that moment, to impress on the voters why they needed a change of heart? Would that not amount to campaigning right at the polling unit? Would it not contravene set and prevailing electoral laws?
I don’t know how they intend to achieve that feat, to pay for people’s votes and…being a top notch media guru myself (I am blowing my trumpet) I don’t know how much my vote would worth, but I hope it would get to six digits because whatever it would worth should put food on my table, pay my kids’ school fees, cater for the family’s welfare, take care of medical and give life a whole lot of meaning for me and the rest of our dear country people.
Now, if you, the one who pay votes, cannot pay for Nigerians to have better lease of life, please, can you  make way for CHANGE?