You know how Saturday mornings usually have a rhythm of their own.

Shops half-open, radios louder than usual, and people pretending they are resting while planning the week ahead.

But this particular Saturday was different. Businesses were shut, movements restricted, and the entire street had been officially handed over to democracy.

It was election day!

Out of nowhere, Mr. Adamu emerged from his room, freshly bathed, voter’s card in hand, adjusting his cap like a man on a mission.

“Adamu, where you dey go this early morning?” Emeka asked from his doorstep, arms folded, already certain of the answer.

“Today na election na and no work, I wan go vote,” Adamu replied casually.

Emeka laughed, the kind of laugh reserved for people doing what society considers foolish.

“Vote? You wan waste your time?”

“You nor know say voting nor dey count. Dem go still rig am.”

Before Adamu could respond, Akpan burst into the compound, excitement written all over his face like he had just won a raffle.

“I don vote finish,” he announced proudly. “And dem pay me well well.”

Emeka’s laughter grew louder. “Correct guy. Why vote for free when e no dey count?”

Akpan nodded in agreement. “Exactly. Since the vote no go matter, make person at least chop something from inside.”

From a corner of the compound, a young man who had been quietly observing the exchange of words finally spoke. His voice was calm, almost innocent.

He looked directly at Akpan and asked,

“If your vote doesn’t count and it’s truly a waste of time… why did a politician buy it?”

Silence erupted almost immediately.

I mean the silence was so thick that you could cut it with a knife.

It was that kind of silence that made people suddenly interested in the ground, the sky, or their phone screens.

Because the question landed where jokes and cynicism could not protect them.

And in that moment, the reality of voting apathy revealed itself, not as wisdom, but as contradiction.

The Comfortable Lie of “My Vote Doesn’t Count”

Across many countries, especially in parts of the Global South, there is a deeply entrenched belief that voting is a useless exercise.

Elections, people say, are already decided and results are written long before ballots are cast before the actual day of the election.

Power in this scenario belongs to the powerful and not the people, because democracy only works on paper and not seen in action.

This belief has become so comfortable that it has been fully entrenched in the behavior of citizens in the political landscape. It literally requires nothing from anyone, no queues, no sun, no patience and painfully, no hope.

Just resignation to fate and the uncertainty of tomorrow.

But here is the irony: the same politicians accused of rigging elections are also accused of vote buying. This is loud, consistent and across many regions and party lines.

How is that so?

Think about it: If voting truly does not count, why is there the alleged desperation of the higher political class to purchase it?

We all know and agree that nobody spends money on what has no value.

Nobody will go out to buy fuel they believe won’t burn, nobody would actually pay for data they think won’t connect them to the Internet and nobody, I mean absolutely nobody would use their God given brain to purchase a generator they know cannot generate power.

So why then would a politician buy votes that “don’t count”?

The truth most people avoid is simple: voting does count, but its power is diluted when citizens surrender it cheaply, casually, or collectively.

Apathy is not accidental, ignorance is not harmless. Both are actually tools for great exploitation and I daresay that they are effective—very effective!

When people believe their participation is meaningless, they disengage. When they disengage, those who understand the system move freely—unchecked, unchallenged, and unbothered.

This is because vote buying thrives not because votes are useless, but because many people have been convinced they are.

Why Change Never Announces Itself Loudly

One of the greatest misconceptions about social and political change is that it arrives dramatically, like a revolution, a sudden overthrow, or a viral moment that resets everything overnight.

Everybody suppose gather, make kasala burst befor dem believe say change don happen.

But the real truth is that true change is much quieter , actually slower and annoyingly incremental.

It actually begins with one person refusing to sell their voice.

Then another.

Then a few more.

Then a crowd that was once silent becomes unpredictable and the ripple effect will be felt across the society.

This is precisely what entrenched systems fear.

Not noise—but numbers—real actual numbers!

Voting is not magic. It does not instantly fix corruption, bad governance, or broken institutions. But it is the foundation and baseline for intentional and meaningful change. Without it, every other demand becomes a complaint without leverage.

The power of voting is not just in the ballot—it is in what follows—accountability, awareness, participation and pressure.

Because if you vote for someone and they win the election, you would actually demand this from them but you can demand something from someone you sold your vote to

It is like just saying you sold your house and you're still expecting that they call you the landlord of the same house.

When citizens vote and remain engaged, manipulation becomes expensive, rigging becomes harder and buying silence becomes riskier.

That is why voter suppression often hides behind discouragement. “Why bother?” is more dangerous than outright intimidation.

Because once people stop trying, the outcome truly becomes predetermined.

And then the lie becomes reality and the reality becomes normal.

A Neutral Truth That Makes Everyone Uncomfortable

Here is the uncomfortable middle ground that many avoid: voting can be flawed, compromised, and imperfect—and still matter.

Both things can be true.

Yes, there are elections that have been manipulated.

Yes, there are politicians who abuse power.

Yes, systems can be unfair.

But none of these realities have ever been corrected by disengagement.

Refusing to vote does not punish corruption; it rewards it, selling votes does not expose the system; it feeds it.

Mocking those who still believe does not make one enlightened; it makes one useful to the very structure being criticised.

Voting is not about heroism. It is about responsibility.

If you have the chance to vote—vote without thinking twice!

If you have the chance to speak—speak without compromise!

If you have the chance to question—question without fear!

So if you're in a group, an association, a class or anything you belong to, including participating in the activities involving the government of your state, ensure you actively participate.

This is because silence has never produced reform. It only makes oppression more efficient.

Change does not begin when everyone agrees. It begins when enough people refuse to opt out.

And if you have been reading this with keen attention I want to remind you that—the young man’s question still lingers in the air:

If votes don’t count, why are they so desperately bought?

Because deep down, even the people selling them know the truth:

Their vote matters, because why then is it bought?

They are just giving it away cheaply and the earlier they realize this the better for them.