It is just about two years until the 2027 general elections. Politicians are already engaged in high-level discussions and negotiations ahead of the polls. President Bola Tinubu is fighting so hard to ensure a second term, while an array of opposition politicians hope to collaborate on the primary goal of defeating him.
However, there is ample cause for worry: democracy remains relegated to the background while various interests jostle for power. While so much effort is being invested in the jostle for power, very little attention is paid to sustaining democracy.
Worse, electoral reform does not appear to be a front-burner issue for Nigerian politicians.
Incidentally, Achike Udenwa, a former Imo governor, recently raised the alarm over potent threats to democracy. He pointed to the influence of money politics as a major threat to credible, free, and fair elections.
He told the Edmund Obilo ‘State Affairs’ podcast that anyone with sizeable resources could buy an electoral victory. This is an uncomfortable truth.
Udenwa said, “Unfortunately, our society has grown to such a level where if you say vote for me, I am no longer asking what you can do. If I don’t vote for you, you can buy your way through if you have the right amount of money.”
As a major participant in Imo for eight years, Udenwa has seen so much sleaze in Nigerian politics to make affirmative declarations about it.
No doubt, money politics remains the major challenge to a virile democratic culture in Nigeria.
In reported cases, there were instances where voters received prepaid inducements ahead of elections in return for votes.
With the odious tactic known as ‘see and buy,’ voters are made to display their ballot papers to party agents after appending their thumbprint. Upon casting their ballots, the voters are usually paid bribes in cash and kind. This compromises democracy and elevates mediocrity to office.
The judicial system is not left out. Some members of the Bar and Bench have been found culpable in cases involving party primaries, conventions, and other matters on which they were expected to have exercised ample discretion.
In this context, Mahmood Yakubu, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, called for action against the buying of delegates at primaries. It has been reported that bribes in foreign currencies have been paid to delegates during primaries.
Allied to this is the huge cost of purchasing nomination and expression of interest forms by aspirants. The costs of obtaining these forms have gone up considerably since the return of democracy in 1999.
According to Dataphyte, the cost of obtaining a presidential nomination form in the major parties rose by 300 per cent between 2015 and 2023. The financial outlay for campaigns is also mind-boggling.
Yet, the Electoral Act 2022 stipulates that presidential candidates should not spend beyond N5 billion as election expenses, while it is N1 billion for governorship candidates, N100 million for senatorial candidates and N70 million for House of Representatives candidates. These figures pale in significance to reality.
It is salutary to note the prosecution and conviction of election officials and INEC workers who allegedly compromised the process. However, the number is negligible compared to the widespread malpractices.
A Commonwealth Observer Group report on the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly Elections noted that the electoral reforms also did little to address longstanding concerns.
The Federal Election Campaign Act stipulates the limits of contributions by different categories to a presidential candidate in the United States. Elsewhere, parties fund their activities through annual membership dues to prevent money politics. Nigeria’s political parties should adopt this measure.
It has become imperative for the NASS to pass the law establishing an electoral offences commission. This will significantly help in the oversight of election campaign finances.
Civil society organisations should sustain the tempo for electoral reforms.
