NUJ Tasks Politicians On Party Programmes

As the political scene gathers momentum for 2019, politicians have been advised to sell their programmes to the people rather than nursing the intent to buy votes.
Chairman, Rivers State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Stanley Job Stanley gave the advice during a chat with The Tide at his office in Port Harcourt over the weekend.
Stanley expressed worry that politicians now employ various unpleasant means to secure the votes of citizens, describing vote buying as a worrisome development.
According to him, “vote buying is a very worrisome trend and I do not know why politicians are employing such unpleasant means to get the vote of the masses.
“Before now it use to be massive rigging. It now seems that the Independent Natiobal Electoral Commission (INEC) has stepped up. So votes now seem to count. What the politicians feel they will do now is to resort to buy votes and that is very wrong. We must do everything to discourage it.
“As a politician, you must have plan a or blue print. Therefore sell your programmes now that the campaigns have started and tell the people what you will do for them if elected. Use that money you want to use to buy their votes in developing the people and the community rather than deceiving them,” Stanley counselled.
The State NUJ chairman said, it was a pity that a politician could dishes out two, three to five thousand to secure your vote for you to mortgage your conscience as a voter for the next four years or so as the case may be.
He further said, “If the politician fails to do anything for you, of course you blame yourself. On the part of the politician he will not see anything wrong because he will say after all I paid to get your votes”.

Dennis Naku