General Elections: Pyrates Confraternity Sensitizes Traders On Vote Selling, Buying At Bodija Market

Market men and women at the popular Bodija Market, Ibadan, Oyo state Capital have been educated on the need to shun vote buying and selling at the forthcoming general elections.

The sensitization programm on vote buying and selling with the theme “Our Votes Count Town Hall Meeting was organized by members of Jolly Rogers & Hudson Decks of National Association of Seadogs Pyrates Confraternity Oyo state zone.

Speaking with journalists shortly after the town hall meeting, the Zonal Capone of Seadogs Pyrates Confraternity, Olufemi Adesope maintained that the training is the climax of the “Our Votes Count Campaign”.

He said, “We are rounding up our votes count campaign, which is to enlighten and educate the citizens about the need for them to come out enmass and vote for credible candidate who has the capacity to change the narrative of governance in Nigeria.”

“We are here to educate them not to sell their votes, not to do things that will make the electoral process go the way we did not desire.”

“So our message today, is don’t sell vote, go out and vote for credible people, with what we have done during the “Our Votes Count Campaign, because that is the starting point and is meant to encourage people on the need for them to collect their PVC and we did so well about that, and with that we are very optimistic that election will go well. Olufemi said.

In his words, the guest lecturer at the programm, Prof. Francis Egbokhare, a Professor of linguistics at the University of Ibadan, hinted journalists that the whole summary of the programm is to let the people know that they have the power and that power has been granted them as a divine right by citizen of a Nigeria.

He maintained that the reforms in INEC has further strengthen the power Nigerians and no one has any reason now not to exercise his or her own right to vote, to own a vote and to appreciate the value of a vote.”

“We have educated them that there vote is their right to fire and hire, there is no amount of money that can be equate to a vote, we must understand our right and the value of the vote as our right.”

“A lot of problems that we face in Nigeria can be corrected in every four years, because we have mandate to exercise this franchise to hire new and competent individual and fire those who we feel are not up to the standard by selling our votes, and for me I think the message has been passed.” He said.

In his remarks, the state chairman of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Oyo Council, Comrade Kayode Olusegun Martins, the chairman commended the Seadogs Pyrates Confraternity for organizing such programm.

He said, “I salute the organiser of this program for an eye opening event like this especially when it relate with the people we can tag as a layman. I was surprised seeing them coming out enmass for this program that is meant to sensitize them and let them see beyond a day cast.”

“Election is there to determines who handles our future, our lives, so we encourage the participants to vote into power the right person, because at the end of it all everything will fall on the masses.”

“So it is our task to ensure we vote into power credible people and that is the essence of the whole programm here, be it at the state level, at the federal level, and even at the local government level, make sure you have the right people to represent our interest, someone that will be there for us, we all can’t be there, all we need is to send someone to represent our interest via our vote, and we’ve educate them not to sell their votes because selling their votes means selling the future and that is exactly what we are doing here today.”