There was massive vote buying at the just concluded FCT Area Council Election in Kubwa. According to eyewitnesses, party stalwarts of the two major political parties, APC and PDP, were seen giving voters cash, after they had shown evidence that they had voted.
The polling agent of the party, using some pre-agreed signal, will notify the paying cashier, that voter A or B voted for their party. If confirmed, the voter gets N1000, if the cashier and agent are not sure, the voter gets N500.
We witnessed haggling between some prospective voter and one party’s cashier. These voters outrightly insisted that they must be given money before they vote. They brandished their voters cards and put their price at N5000. They claimed that whosoever wins, will not remember them, so this is their best time to get their own dividends of democracy.
Agents of other parties, were seen in clusters bemoaning their fate, crying out loud that, they did their best for their candidates but could not buy vote.
Supporters of ADC, while expressing disappointment over the residents selling their votes, took solace in the fact that they did not buy votes, their candidate came 3rd behind APC and PDP that deployed huge resources.
