Pyrates Confraternity embarks on campaign against vote-buying

The National Association of Seadogs (NAS) better known as Pyrates Confraternity has embarked on a campaign against vote-buying.

The campaign tagged “Our Votes Count” was flagged off at the confraternity’s Egbeda/Alimosho chapter in Lagos state on Saturday.

They commenced the campaign with a road show sensitising the public on how to protect their votes.

Robert Nnoli, Lagos coordinator of the association, said the group is determined to ensure that “every single vote cast matters.”

He said they do not want votes to be lost to ignorance or vote-buying.

“For a very long time we have abdicated our responsibilities of electing a responsible leadership to happenstance but this time around we are determined to make sure that every single vote we cast matters,” Nnoli said.

“The first phase of the enlightenment campaign was to encourage citizens to go and register for their PVC while the group is utilising this second phase to educating the voting public on their rights and how to ensure that their votes count.”

Hassan Aidorolo, vice-president of the Egbeda chapter of the association, said the electorate have lost confidence in the electoral process based on their interaction with them.

“Largely the view of most of the voters spoken to was that they have lost confidence in the electoral process and are not going to bother themselves with going to vote as they believe that their votes would never count,” Aidorolo said.

The association said it would continue with the campaign until few days to the polls in February.