Ahead of the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State, a group of youths has cautioned eligible voters to shun any temptation to trade their votes but rather use it to elect candidates with credible credentials.

The group, which trouped the streets of Akure on a sensitisation programme on Sunday, also asked the youths to avoid being used as machinery by politicians to commit electoral malfeasances and disruption of the exercise.  

Speaking with journalists on behalf of the group, under the auspices of Voters Vanguard, the spokeswoman, Titilope Adegbolu-Oniyesan, said it has become a menace among politicians to lure eligible voters into selling their votes.

She said the rising poverty in the land should not be an excuse for the electorates to sell their votes for N5000 or even N10,000 in the coming election.

“People must stop the temptation of vote-buying and selling. Nobody, especially eligible voters, should sell their votes in the forthcoming election. We understand there is hunger and hardship in the land.

“They will bring N5,000 or N10,000. It is better you reject it. Your pain and hunger should embolden you to use your vote to make a statement in electing the right and credible candidate of your choice.

“It should not be the reason why they would come over and buy your votes. It is better to say no to vote buying. It’s an act of electoral malfeasance and fraud that must be resisted,” Ms Adegbolu-Oniyesan said.

She further explained that it was also important that stakeholders in the electoral process come together to ensure that the upcoming election is free, credible, transparent, and acceptable.  

While advising the youths to be circumspect as politicians would want to rely on them to perpetrate acts of violence, Ms Adegbolu-Oniyesan said they should remember they are also leaders who could positively change the narrative if they use their strengths.

“It is wrong, and we want our young people to know they are leaders. They are not thugs. They shouldn’t be pieces of machinery to be used during elections, and thereafter, they are discarded,” she said.