Ballots for Naira: How Nigeria’s Youth Risk Destroying 2027 Before It Begins

By Dr. Michael Omoruyi | Op-Ed | iNewsAfrica | June 3, 2025

As Nigeria inches closer to the 2027 presidential elections, an uncomfortable reality confronts us: a generation once hailed as the drivers of democratic change is at risk of betraying that promise—one naira note at a time.

The youth, Nigeria’s largest demographic bloc and greatest hope, are increasingly becoming pawns in the corrupt game of vote-buying. Instead of using the ballot as a tool of transformation, many are trading it for rice, mobile recharge cards, or a few thousand naira. This is not just political malpractice—it is a generational betrayal.

Selling Votes, Selling the Future

In 2023, an alarming number of reports emerged from polling stations across Nigeria of votes being sold openly. These transactions were not isolated—they were systemic, organized, and executed by both major and fringe parties. The trend seems poised to worsen in 2027, especially as poverty and joblessness deepen.

What many fail to understand is this: when you sell your vote, you mortgage your future. The candidate who buys your vote has no incentive to govern with transparency or accountability. After all, they’ve already paid for your silence.

A Generation in Economic Chains

Youth unemployment stands at over 40%, and inflation has made daily living unbearable for many young Nigerians. In such a climate, politicians exploit desperation, not ideology. But this is exactly why young voters must resist.

History has shown that political revolutions are driven not by the wealthy, but by the young and discontented. Yet instead of channeling their discontent into reform, too many youths are allowing themselves to be silenced with peanuts—while the elite steal billions.

The Real Cost of Vote-Selling

When votes are sold:

• Leaders are chosen not for competence, but for corruption.

• Policies are drafted to benefit the rich, not the poor.

• Education, healthcare, and job creation suffer neglect.

• Democratic institutions become tools of oppression.

In essence, vote-selling transforms elections from instruments of hope into rituals of despair.

Learning from #EndSARS

The #EndSARS protests in 2020 revealed the potential of Nigerian youth to demand justice, dignity, and reform. But real change happens not just in the streets—but at the ballot box. That power must be protected, not prostituted.

Youth must understand: your vote is your weapon. Do not hand it to your oppressor for the price of a cheap meal.

A Call to Conscience

The time has come for Nigerian youths to choose:
Will you be the generation that sold Nigeria’s future—or the one that saved it?

If you want better roads, schools, jobs, hospitals—then vote wisely, not cheaply. If you desire a future of opportunity rather than survival, then make your vote your voice, not your commodity.

2027 is not just another election. It is a crossroads. And the youth must decide: Ballots or Naira? Future or Failure?

Dr. Michael Omoruyi is a political analyst, author, and Director of Diaspora Affairs, Liberal Progressive & Patriotic Members Congress (LPPMC). He writes from New York.