By Dr Ayo Olukotun, PhD, Olabisi Onabanjo University — The Conversation, Sunday 12 June 2022
Nigeria has had 23 years of unbroken civilian rule since 1999, but the journey has been chequered, with ups and downs. The quality of elections alone is below par in terms of administration and logistics, and there is still occasional violence — before, during and after the 2019 election, 623 people died. Apathy and disconnection are the result: the 2019 presidential poll witnessed only 35% voter turnout.
Money is widely used to affect electoral outcomes. The Peoples Democratic Party’s convention recently saw dollars being “rained down on delegates” as a way of wooing them to vote for presidential aspirants. The two dominant political parties sell their expression of interest and nomination forms for huge amounts of money — as high as 100 million naira (about US$240,000) for presidential aspirants. This effectively locks out a significant majority of the population, and especially young people who are the poorest and most numerous demographic. It is worse for women: only a small percentage are in a position to find the kind of money required to participate. What’s happening is that old politicians are recycling their sons, their daughters and their in-laws into the political space. Those who don’t have godfathers or parents who can recycle them have no chance. As long as money can buy votes, the future of democracy in Nigeria is uncertain. This article has been republished under Creative Commons licence.