Yusuf Dantalle, the National Chairman of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) and Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), has called on Nigerians to vote according to their conscience and resist what he termed “peanuts or that menace called vote buying.” He emphasized that vote buying poses a severe threat to Nigeria’s democracy and urged citizens not to trade their future for short-term financial gains.
Speaking on Monday during a live interview on Frontline, a current affairs program on Eagle 102.5 FM in Ilese Ijebu, Dantalle stated, “Choose your preferred candidate. Refuse peanuts or the evil of vote buying. If they give you money and you feel compelled to accept, take it, but still vote correctly.”
Dantalle expressed sympathy for President Bola Tinubu, acknowledging that Tinubu’s reform agenda is well-intentioned but hindered by systemic inefficiencies and weak institutions. “I feel for the president. He is trying his best to fix Nigeria,” Dantalle said, adding, “However, Nigerians are suffering greatly today.” He argued that the anticipated benefits of Tinubu’s policies have not improved living standards and that economic hardship is directly fueling rising insecurity across the country.
When asked if the APM would reverse key reforms like subsidy removal and exchange rate unification if it came to power, Dantalle rejected a simplistic policy reversal. “The APM, through my presidential candidate, has proposed resetting Nigeria,” he explained. He clarified that resetting Nigeria involves more than economic tweaks; it requires a thorough reassessment of national values, institutions, and governance culture. “We must examine the entire value system. What we see as insecurity is a result of neglect and exclusion. If Nigerians feel they own Nigeria, no one would want to destroy what belongs to them,” Dantalle concluded.