Sam’s Hangout #108 - “VOTING AND TRUST”

Happy Owanbe Saturday, my people.🎉💃
Saturdays are for parties, weddings, and plenty of jollof rice. Do you have any owanbe lined up for today, or are you chilling at home? Share your Saturday plans with us.

! Mention list: @deraaa @b0s @merit.ahama @peaq @monioluwa @brightdavid @stevenson7 @obrisgold1 @jaydr @mayorkeys @wolfofnostreet @young-boss-karin @tukem1 @k-banti @iskafan @chosenfingers @onwugbenuvictor @monica-ene @heskay @etiboy56 @doziekash @chincoculbert @funshee @omosefe @ozohu @attentionneeded @popmanj @estherscott @vickoly @gloriaolar @pianokills @hepziba @tblings-art @anissignature @ijohnsen @manuel6 @khaleesii @kenechukwu97 @abidemiademok21 @otshotz @blezyn @uzuka @mrenglish @bbjmed @uddydan @reineesmay @b0s @prechidi @joydukeson @benii @henryce @nkemakonam89 @zestimony @surgeoncaspar @kingobonnaya @royalpeek @sekani @olawalium @drstrings @ajumaa @blackavalon @jachy @samostically @treasuree @dimmablogs @glorydee @quduus1 @obaro @temibot @hivedeb @stefanovah @adaezeinchrist @kierydearie @khingstan @emreal @moremoney28 @justfavour @herbae @temmylade @princessbusayo @geelocks @actordontee @cescajove @adeife2 @etorobong @jannaforyou @amiegeoffrey @schola.kosy @busk1999 @redna @etiboy56 @jmis101 @queenstarr @yinks @empressjay @marajah @ovey10 @anthony57 @mercytosh @cleevesh @sharonia02 @balikis95 @ibbtammy @afrikens @bruno-kema @desire-pen @ellizy @emlynx @goldenproject @ozd @rukkie @suqueen @patienceakpan @zali.bee @wealthgrammy @coderaikiri @bhetea01 @obifavvy @ruhlar @kingdomzy @johnmitchel @amma1 @emlynx @princessglow @hiventhusiast @kultinvictor @nursecommy @afrikens @daeze-winnie @suisver @ernec @onyinye-chi @benswaag1 @samuel20 @van.illa @iquo @beautyme @mathewdaddywah @amma1 @lecia89 @mayor-001 @goldenproject @iellizy @terjix @toluwanih @daverick @uniquezee @sperosamuel15 @chefqueen @kilvnrex @coderaikiri @justola1 @deborahofweb3 @kentonia @psalmmy264 @emreal @ozibaby @kachy2022 @neysco @faithwellington @abdul-qudus @soma18 @trojan1 @nsigo1 @therichking @zusi78 @marsdave @mega13

Of a truth, even if we are allowed to freely air our views and opinions, the next election will still come and go without any meaningful change if we do nothing. This is because the system is deeply compromised.
When I look at the options @sam.hangout, it captures the raw, polarized frustration that is widespread across Nigeria right now.Many citizens feel the system has repeatedly failed ordinary people, despite our country's enormous human talent and natural wealth — oil, gas, agriculture, and a vibrant young population.

Votes not counting due to manipulation at collation stages, protests met with arrests or tear gas, and that painful sense of powerlessness in choosing our leaders.The 2023 elections exposed these issues clearly. BVAS was supposed to be a game-changer for biometric verification,but failures in result transmission, technical glitches, alleged alterations at collation,vote-buying, intimidation, and violence in some areas shattered public trust.
If I pour out my full opinion on Nigeria's elections and electoral process, this post won't be enough.

But someone may ask: Does it mean we should sit on the fence?
No. Sitting on the fence, staying away from voting, disengaging completely, or leaving everything to chance or the powerful, is not the answer. It would only make things worse and hand victory to those who benefit from a compromised system.Nigeria's abundant resources and youthful population deserve better than perpetual elite selection disguised as elections. Sitting on the fence gives them a free pass. Showing up in large, informed, and vigilant numbers, combined with relentless pressure for real fixes,at least keeps the possibility of improvement alive and makes future rigging more costly and visible.
The sadness of votes not counting, protests met with force, and wasted potential will not end by withdrawing. It ends when enough citizens refuse to normalize it. Many young people and civil society groups are already shifting from pure protest to structured watching, monitoring, and demanding accountability.

Practical steps we can take right now:
If you haven't gotten your Permanent Voter's Card (PVC), go and collect it immediately. Continuous Voter Registration and PVC collection are ongoing — check your status on the INEC portal and visit your Local Government office. This is the bare minimum starting point.

Educate yourself and others in your community about the Electoral Act 2026. It gives statutory backing to BVAS and IReV with some penalties for non-transmission, but the hybrid (electronic + manual fallback) still leaves room for the old problems at collation. We must keep demanding full transparency and real-time safeguards.

Get involved in voter education, reject vote-buying and document every step on election day.
Fellow Nigerians, our voices matter. Let's turn frustration into informed action.
Thank you. Let's build the Nigeria we deserve. 🇳🇬

It can feel like corruption makes votes useless—but that mindset actually helps the problem grow.

In Nigeria, change has still happened when enough people show up. If you sit out, others will decide the outcome for you.

If not voting, at least do something useful that day—like supporting groups that encourages others to vote.

Stepping back completely rarely improves anything.

Seriously this is a complex and very sensitive topic to talk about and I'll just try my best to go straight to the point and not beat about the bush.

I was once among the electoral officials and with my experiences in the cause of duty, I'll say we are actually deceiving ourselves if we fully think that electoral commission is not functioning based on corruption and betrayal acts to the citizens. Our votes may not count and that is not a discouragement cos even when you come out in mass to vote, there are other ways you have no control over or access except their interference which they can use to their own advantage of the candidate they secretly support (order from above).
It will shock you that whatever devises they want to make use of in 2027 has been planned on from 2024 or 2025 and replacement of positions have been ongoing. Na who know go know on this matter.
Na wetin dey wan upload den go upload and na wetin den input you go see. Result weh no upload when you put on data but go upload when you do am offline 😂 E pass normal comprehension

Now back to the citizens. What most of us don't know is that, we are the reason why these people find it easy to rig election results. Rigging is not about what happened at the polling unit o (No go think am at all), it all happens after you all are done and all unused ballot papers are gathered, unvoted voters card information from the system (i.e those who are supposed to come out to vote but had empty space for their biometrics and vote etc). All these unused don't go like that o but rather used on your behalf to suit themselves. So even if at all they might still end up rigging the process, but still, make it hard for them to do by ensuring that you have your PVC and go out to vote for the right person.
Would you rather trek for a travel because motor dey get accident? You go board am noni now

I eventually turned to Millie for this long post and funny enough, many things still dey my stomach 😂 but I don shrink am like that.
@goldenproject @abdul-qudus @chefqueen @merit.ahama come and shook mouth
And don't go and fight for election to keep box safe o 😜

Hello, People! It's time for our Sunday Reflections!🎉💃 Did you go to church today? If yes, what did you learn? If not, how are you spending your Sunday? Please, share with us!

! Mention list: @deraaa @b0s @merit.ahama @peaq @monioluwa @brightdavid @stevenson7 @obrisgold1 @jaydr @mayorkeys @wolfofnostreet @young-boss-karin @tukem1 @k-banti @iskafan @chosenfingers @onwugbenuvictor @monica-ene @heskay @etiboy56 @doziekash @chincoculbert @funshee @omosefe @ozohu @attentionneeded @popmanj @estherscott @vickoly @gloriaolar @pianokills @hepziba @tblings-art @anissignature @ijohnsen @manuel6 @khaleesii @kenechukwu97 @abidemiademok21 @otshotz @blezyn @uzuka @mrenglish @bbjmed @uddydan @reineesmay @b0s @prechidi @joydukeson @benii @henryce @nkemakonam89 @zestimony @surgeoncaspar @kingobonnaya @royalpeek @sekani @olawalium @drstrings @ajumaa @blackavalon @jachy @samostically @treasuree @dimmablogs @glorydee @quduus1 @obaro @temibot @hivedeb @stefanovah @adaezeinchrist @kierydearie @khingstan @emreal @moremoney28 @justfavour @herbae @temmylade @princessbusayo @geelocks @actordontee @cescajove @adeife2 @etorobong @jannaforyou @amiegeoffrey @schola.kosy @busk1999 @redna @etiboy56 @jmis101 @queenstarr @yinks @empressjay @marajah @ovey10 @anthony57 @mercytosh @cleevesh @sharonia02 @balikis95 @ibbtammy @afrikens @bruno-kema @desire-pen @ellizy @emlynx @goldenproject @ozd @rukkie @suqueen @patienceakpan @zali.bee @wealthgrammy @coderaikiri @bhetea01 @obifavvy @ruhlar @kingdomzy @johnmitchel @amma1 @emlynx @princessglow @hiventhusiast @kultinvictor @nursecommy @afrikens @daeze-winnie @suisver @ernec @onyinye-chi @benswaag1 @samuel20 @van.illa @iquo @beautyme @mathewdaddywah @amma1 @lecia89 @mayor-001 @goldenproject @ellizy @terjix @toluwanih @daverick @uniquezee @sperosamuel15 @chefqueen @kilvnrex @coderaikiri @justola1 @deborahofweb3 @kentonia @psalmmy264 @emreal @ozibaby @kachy2022 @neysco @faithwellington @abdul-qudus @soma18 @trojan1 @therichking @zusi78 @marsdave @mega13Bold

VOTING AND TRUST: Do individual votes still matter in 2027?

No, I don’t believe corruption has gone so deep that individual votes are meaningless. Has the system been abused? Yes. Did 2023 leave a lot of people bitter? Absolutely. We all saw the reports of BVAS glitches, delayed uploads, violence in polling units, and vote buying caught on camera. That distrust is real, and pretending it isn’t would be dishonest.

But saying “it’s too deep, so why bother” hands the entire process to the same people we’re frustrated with. Corruption thrives when good people opt out. If 10 million Nigerians who want change decide to stay home because “my one vote won’t count,” that’s 10 million votes that definitely won’t count. Elections in Nigeria are often decided by margins that look huge nationally, but at the ward and LGA level, a few hundred votes flip seats. That’s where governors, senators, and assembly members emerge — the people who control state budgets and local security.

So would I sit out 2027 and leave my future to chance? I wouldn’t. Sitting out is a choice, and it’s still a vote just one for the status quo. If the system is broken, the only way it changes is from pressure inside and outside: more observers, more litigation with evidence, more young people running for office, and yes, more votes that make rigging expensive and risky.

That said, voting alone isn’t the whole job. If election day comes and someone truly feels unsafe at their polling unit, I’d never shame them for protecting themselves. But the alternative shouldn’t be Netflix and vibes. Use the day. Document. Volunteer as a party agent or with a civil society group like Yiaga Africa or CDD. Join a Situation Room WhatsApp channel and verify results from your PU. If you can’t be at the polls, help transport elderly voters in your street, or babysit for a neighbor so they can go vote.

The logic is simple: corruption is a numbers game. It’s easier to inflate 100 votes than 10,000. It’s easier to suppress turnout when people already plan to stay home. Mass participation raises the cost of malpractice. It doesn’t guarantee a perfect process, but it shrinks the room for impunity.

So my answer: I don’t think we’re too far gone. I’ll be voting, and I’ll spend the rest of the day doing the unglamorous work that makes votes harder to steal — observing, reporting, and helping others cast theirs. If we all outsource the future, we shouldn’t be shocked at who shows up to claim it.

Good Day everyone 😌.
Wow, amazing topic I must say. I was expecting this place to be filled up already, but I guess everyone ha been occupied by one thing or the other just like I was to....

So, taking about it there's hope, well I believe anything can happen. Just yesterday I was writing about democracy and how what we are actually practicing in Nigeria is no democracy but more like dictatorship or monarchy form of government. I just posted it now though and I was surprised to find something relating to it here as well. It just shows that maybe our thinking is somehow same. Personally, I won't sit this out, not at all, I didn't vote in the last election and that was because.. in all honesty I don't believe our votes count. But for the last few months now I've been following this government and the last ones, I've been doing some comparison and research on a lot of things while also watching a lot of things activities of political activist, the likes of Zekeri Idris, Randy Peter Akah and the likes. Now I know that if we keep quiet, and sit it out, it is no at our best interest, best thing to do is to go out in mass and vote and to make sure that our votes count. The system ks compromised of a truth, but a lot of people are out now demanding for better. So, we need to get up and make a decision...a decision to change.

I haven't been doing much, but I remember telling my colleagues just before we go on this short break to change their mentality while encouraging those of them who do not have a PVC to get one. We shouldn't sell our vote for rice,10k and groundnut oil.. that's us selling away our future. Personally, Nigeria has frustrated me, a lot. And if you follow me to some extent you will notice for like a month now, I've hardly go a week without writing on the happenings in our country, it's too frustrating.

But I believe change will come when we are ready, because this people in government don't send us, and it's not funny. We outnumber them, meaning our voice and numbers should be louder than theirs, and whatever manipulation they are planning.

He dun do...I wan pass mic, don't even know if I've gone out of context 🤦... Nigeria is too frustrating ni....aswr..

@afrikens
@goldenproject
@van.illa
@zali.bee
@betheloji12
@amara24
@chefqueen

🏃🏃🏃

Do you believe corruption in the electoral process has gone too deep for individual votes to make any real difference next year? If yes, would you be sitting out the elections and leaving your future to chance? What activity would you rather engage in on that day?

As much as corruption is no longer a news in our country's electoral activities , I still haven't given up atall and I still believe that something good can come out from Nazareth if we collectively do the needful .

As usual, I always encourage my friends to get their voters card and vote regardless . We can't conclude that our vote won't count when we haven't tried ...it's sad because those corrupt leaders always make us look like a fool by wasting our votes but we must not leave our future to chance considering the rate of hardship we are suffering today. To start with, I already made sure my sis leaving with me (soma18) registered to obtain her voters cards against the forth coming election .

Are you a Nigerian citizen ? Do you have your voters card ? I have mine😍

Make I drop my two cents on this matter sharp...

This is a necessary discussion, yet an annoying one. I can tell you for sure that not many wouldn't want to have this important discourse. And we all know why－it seems fruitless and a waste of time.

But is that really so? Well, it's no news that there's gross malpractice when it comes to electoral practices and processes, such that the thought of exercising our franchise seems useless. The thought of having a free and fair election seems far-fetched from reality. You wouldn't blame anyone for thinking so with all the things we've seen in the past and recent years.

It's funny we always complain about the people at the top forgetting that it's those at the grassroots who aid electoral injustice. If this is curtailed at the lower levels, there's hope for a free and fair election. I watched a video yesterday of a tout running his mouth and saying he would beat up anyone who doesn't vote for the current president, adding that he will make it to a third term by force. This affirms more of the problem we have.

Nevertheless, I'll be voting next year. It's my duty as a citizen. Staying at home and doing nothing makes me complicit in the wrong. I have to play my role before criticising. In that light, I've shared posts meant to encourage others to get their PVCs and be prepared to vote next year.

While the corruption has eaten deep and it looks like our votes won't make any difference thereby creating apathy in many citizens, but not voting only makes it easier for electoral malpractices and injustices. I believe this to be one of the strategies of the perpetrators: to make the citizens have political apathy, making it easier to carry out their evil deeds.

Make I drop pen here. My two cents don turn to two dollars.😅

Well, when I look at the current position ofINEC, the people they are surrounded with and the current people in power, I don't think there's any possibility of any free election not to talk about fair. I said that because all the things that are being proposed to INEC to transmit all the election results live, they are not ready to accept it not alone implement or use it. And to me, that is a sign that they are ready to manipulate the results of they cannot accept what will make the election transparent. Now they are saying their will be network issues but to me, the amount they have budgeted for the next election is a trillion plus according to what I heard, so how come they won't be able to provide what will give smooth transmission of the election in this jet age that we are? But I think if we all want a fear and fair election during this coming election, the registration for PVC is ongoing, I'll encourage everyone not to show any political aparty this time around because what I do know is that, if we all go out and cast out votes. I mean if all Nigerians who want a better tomorrow go out and vote, then it will be a bit different to rig the election hence we might have something that is close to a free and fair election.
And as a Nigerian, what I will do on that day, it's not necessarily I participate or join anything, but if I can stand with my vote and if everyone can also do the same. We should all wait till the votes are being counted and entered directly to where they will be finally recorded, that is enough.

@afrikens
@van.illa
@zali.bee
@betheloji12
@amara24
@chefqueen
You all should get your PVC ready. Let's get the PVC started. And don't sell your votes because they offer you a little bribe that won't brighten your future.

In as much as Nigeria is quiet corrupt when it comes to election, voting and trust. I still believe the leadership can be Good. We can get free and fair elections.

I wasn't able to vote the last time but I will be voting this time

First lady arrival

Happy weekend fam. Where is everyone
@marsdave
@daverick
@chefqueen
@yechee
it's been a while dear.
@van.illa

Where’s @chefqueen @yechee @marsdave @nkemakonam89 @van.illa @treasuree

Hello Guy's
I've been so busy today 😕....

Omo, a little related to what I was just about to post o...
@yechee
How cum?

Hello everyone...
Just make sure to come along with your lateness fee...
You can bribe me 🤑, but begging and pleading is out of it..
Cos I don't get...
@afrikens
@chefqueen
@daverick
@amara24
@van.illa

Pay up or don't even bother to cum at all 🤨

It's weekend guys.

Happy weekend people of this hangout.

If we want to be honest with ourselves, we all know that no election is totally free amd fair.

Let's just hope the rigging os reduced to the bearest minimum, but stoping it totally is impossible especially in Nigeria.

I I this topic .one thing we should know is that this is Nigeria and something doesn't just change like that. I can assure you that it going to be the same thing that we always do experience every time it's election period

Well I'm not voting o
I don't have voters card 🙂

@henryjnrr @cohlson @justfavour
How far?

Happy Weekend everyone.

Do you believe corruption in the electoral process has gone too deep for individual votes to make any real difference next year? If yes, would you be sitting out the elections and leaving your future to chance? What activity would you rather engage in on that day?

Phew! Omoh. Voting is something I haven’t participated in since i was born lol. Honestly, i don’t even have a voters card not to talk more of voting in an election. Hopefully i get my voters card soon but then i see no reason getting one because i don’t trust the electoral system of my country, which is mainly the reason why i haven’t gotten it yet…
Moving on, Yes, i definitely believe that corruption in the electoral process has gone too deep for individual votes to make any real difference next year. I would be sitting out the elections next year and leaving my the future to chance, my future is in my hands not in an election process lol.
I don’t know what i will be doing yet on that day, let it come first and you all will find out… hehe

No matter how corrupt the institutions are, I don't think they can overcome the sheer will of the people.

First, everyone eligible to vote needs to have their card ready and come out to vote. It's not just enough voting, there is also the need to stay and defend votes otherwise the votes could be hijacked.

I think when the people come out in massive number, no corrupt government can withstand it.

Update: @sam.hangout, I paid out 38.356 HIVE and 0.000 HBD to reward 11 comments in this discussion thread.