Vintage Waziri: When political desperation blurs the moral line
By Ogechi Okoro
A political leader must never endorse actions whose consequences ripple far beyond the heat of an election. Vote-buying is a prime example. This is why the recent video allegedly showing Waziri Atiku Abubakar urging supporters to accept money from politicians yet vote their conscience demands more than a passing glance. If genuine and not doctored or misrepresented, it forces us to confront a pressing question: what lessons are we imparting to Nigerians about the true worth of their votes?
At 80, the Waziri is no stranger to the labyrinth of Nigerian politics and knows that every word from a presidential hopeful echoes far and wide. What might pass as streetwise banter from a supporter transforms into a powerful signal when spoken by someone vying for the nation’s highest office. The moral dilemma is clear: a wrong act does not become right simply because it targets another wrongdoer.
The notion that voters should pocket politicians’ money simply because those politicians are corrupt may seem cunning, but it only deepens the very culture we claim to resist. It transforms elections into a bustling marketplace, where every citizen becomes a merchant in the trade. This is exactly the trap Nigeria has been striving to break free from.
Across Nigerian communities, the message often carries as much weight as the motive behind it. When a prominent politician says, “collect their money and vote your conscience,” the subtlety can be lost. What the street hears is simple: “The Waziri has given us the green light to collect.” That is a perilous signal.
In Igbo culture, for example, an elder’s words are a weighty inheritance. When a father sends his children into the world, his guidance shapes their every step. If his advice is flawed, the children may pursue it with a fervour he never foresaw. Politics follows the same pattern. At the highest levels, words are no longer idle talk; they become beacons. The message Nigerian politicians must send is clear: reject the money, guard your vote, and let your conscience lead you.
Indeed, that position is consistent with what Atiku himself has reportedly said elsewhere. In August, he urged Nigerian youths to reject vote-buying and political inducements, warning against exchanging their future for temporary handouts. That makes establishing the video’s authenticity and context even more important before concluding.
But the broader issue remains. Nigeria cannot simultaneously condemn vote-buying and rationalise it when it suits our political calculations. The practice is not merely an unfortunate feature of Nigerian elections; INEC has explicitly described vote-buying as a subversion of democratic will and a violation of the law. The Waziri therefore has a bigger responsibility than merely outsmarting his opponents.
He is not just another candidate chasing victory. He is a former vice-president and a seasoned presidential contender seeking the nation’s trust. His words should lift the electorate, not instruct them in the art of transactional politics that has wounded our democracy.
Nigerians do not need politicians to teach them how to collect N5,000 or a bag of rice. What they need are leaders who remind them that their vote is priceless. There is a deep irony in an opposition that challenges the establishment for electoral malpractice, yet seems, even in words, to accept the logic of vote-buying. The real goal should be to dismantle the system, not master its corrupt mechanics.
If the Waziri truly seeks to challenge the Jagaban, his greater mission is to forge a credible opposition, offer an inspiring vision, and persuade Nigerians that politics can be reimagined. With the 2027 presidential election already looming, the real contest is not in old tactics, but in shaping a new future.
The Waziri need not instruct Nigerians on how to collect money from politicians; they are already well-versed in that. What the people truly need from presidential hopefuls is guidance on how to honour their conscience when temptation knocks. Every aspirant must also face a sobering truth: no politician is indispensable to Nigeria’s progress. The nation’s challenges are far greater than any single contender.
The presidency is not a prize for endurance. It is a solemn duty that demands credibility, creative leadership, coalition-building, and a bold vision to unite and uplift a fractured, struggling nation. This is why the Waziri’s strategy must be examined closely, not to bar him from contesting, but because anyone aspiring to lead must meet the highest standards.
Atiku has spent decades navigating the corridors of Nigerian power. He knows its machinery, its temptations, and its paradoxes. More than most, he understands that once politicians legitimise transactional politics, they become prisoners of the very culture they helped create. The cure for vote-buying is not more cunning vote-buying. The answer to manipulation is not greater manipulation. And the way out of a broken political culture is not to become its most skilled player.
If the Waziri genuinely wishes to offer Nigerians a new path, his message must be clear and unwavering: Accept nothing that stains your conscience. Refuse inducements. Safeguard your vote. Choose the candidate you truly believe will serve Nigeria. This is the message befitting a presidential contender. Anything less risks turning the election into yet another transaction, and Nigeria deserves more than a democracy dressed up as a marketplace.
- Dr Ogechi Okoro, a political and social analyst, writes from New Zealand.
