CORRUPTION AND CREDIBLE ELECTORAL PROCESS IN NIGERIA 2007-2015
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CORRUPTION AND CREDIBLE ELECTORAL PROCESS IN NIGERIA 2007-2015
CHAPITRE ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
The various polities that dotted the Nigerian landscape at the beginning of the twentieth century, and the subsequent amalgamation of 1914 that attempted to create a nation out of the multi-cultural and political institutions, the evolution of acceptable government at the centre, most notably through free and fair elections, has been a source of concern.
Individuals, groups, professionals, politicians, academics, and opinion leaders both inside and outside the country are debating this. This is due to the nature and outcome of elections and the subsequent collapse of the First Republic (1960-1966)
and the Second Republic (1979-1983), the abortion of the Third Republic, and the outcry that followed the birth of the Fourth Republic (1999) and the subsequent elections in 2003, 2007, and 2011.
The outrage, violence, and collapse that have greeted electioneering in Nigeria since independence have resulted from elections’ incapacity to deliver outcomes that are mutually acceptable to all competing socioeconomic groupings that are politically active within a given society.(E.K Enojo and V. Egwemi, 2011, p.116)
Periodic elections in a democratic system, if conducted properly, openly, and fairly, provide legitimacy to the administration and hold the potential of stabilising political institutions, particularly in a multi-ethnic country like Nigeria (M.L Salahu, 2003, p22).
Elections, if properly performed and votes counted, became the most acceptable means of gaining or losing power. As the king noticed;
Elections may give a mechanism of choosing between competing alternatives, allowing for the smooth transfer of political power from one set of power holders to another.M.C. King, 1988, p.106 Despite the importance of elections in the establishment, transition, and consolidation of democratic governments, they do not guarantee long-term democratic transition and consolidation.
This is true when elections are held but people’s votes are not counted, or when people have no choice in their representatives and leaders since the entire democratic process has been subverted or manipulated. Political corruption, or electoral corruption, is the subversion or manipulation of the electoral process by people, groups,
political parties, or institutions. Corruption means different things to different people, based on their position and perception. The position of Saliu and Aremu is taken in this work as “a violation of the moral ethos to confer personal advantage on oneself or acquaintances.”(F.A Aremu and H.A. Saliv) Electoral corruption can thus be defined as any action or inaction by individuals, groups, or institutions in assisting, abating, or subverting the electoral process, whether through the use of words, media (print or electronic), thugs, violence, money, or state apparatus to confer an unfair advantage on oneself, an acquaintance, or a political party.
Because corruption has the influencing power to reduce a state’s capacity to meet its material and welfare commitments to its citizens, electoral corruption effectively installs, sustains, and consolidates bad governance through election fraud.
This has been a feature of the Nigerian system from its inception; so, the purpose of this study is to explore corruption and credible election processes in Nigeria’s electoral system throughout an eight-year period, from 2007 to 2015.
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Corruption is one of the most serious difficulties and risks to Nigeria’s Fourth Republic’s democratic consolidation. Corruption in the country reached a peak in 2004, when a German-based non-governmental organisation called Transparency International projected Nigeria as the world’s second most corrupt country (132nd out of 133 countries surveyed) in its 2004 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) report.
Elections and democratic practice in Nigeria have been more of a force than a serious fact since the emergency of the fourth republic, with a particular focus on 2007-2015. Although Nigerians registered and voted in the elections that brought the ruling class to power,
the candidates provided to them for selection were chosen by the political elites rather than by the people. Voting, as seen, became more of a ritual for Nigerians than an execution of bounden duty.
Elections and democratic practice in the fourth republic were characterised by electoral malpractices, political intolerance, economic mismanagement, using political office as a gateway to personal enrichment, political thuggery, lack of intra party democracy,
insecurity, manipulation of religion and ethnicity to achieve selfish political ambitions, and a plethora of other misdemeanours.As a result, the poor masses are readily misled, and their right to choose is cruelly corrupted, making an objective decision rare to consider.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Elections in Nigeria have been marred by a lack of popular participation in the political process, corruption, and a lack of responsiveness and accountability on the side of those in power. The political class, civil society, domestic and international monitors all believed that the 2003 and 2007 general elections,
more than the 1999 elections, were rigged in such a way that election results in some places did not reflect the true voting pattern (This Day, June 20, 2007, Vanguard, July 12, 2007, The Week, July 24, 2007; Gani, 2007; Akande, 2007; Adesina, 2006).
We are currently dealing with court cases stemming from infamous election procedures, allegations of corruption, fraudulent enrichment of those in power, and the uninspiring behaviour of some legislators who are expected to provide positive support for effective policy that will ensure long-term democracy.
We are also witnessing an increase in conflict among the capitalist class as a result of their quest for greater acquisition of national wealth, which is done with blatant disdain for democratic norms.
This predicament strikes an urgent and compelling chord in the heart of every committed Nigerian who has witnessed the country emerge from the clutches of military dictatorship only to fall into the disgraceful politics of professional electoral fraud. One of the arguments offered for the military intervention in 1983 was that the elections that year were extensively manipulated.
The Nigerian people were outraged and demanded that everyone do something to defend democratic institutions and processes from reactionary forces. The key concerns raised by the preceding are: what is electoral fraud and why are we concerned about its counterproductive effects?,
what is sustainable democracy and why does our current democratic process appear to be unsustainable? What political ideals can maintain legitimate democracy in Nigeria, and how can these values be fostered?
1.3 PURPOSE / OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The following are the study’s primary objectives:
i. Investigate all aspects of corruption in the Nigerian electoral system.
ii. To identify and investigate the broad sources of corruption that can be traced back to voting irregularities.
iii. To identify methods for eliminating corruption in order to facilitate a credible electoral system in Nigeria.
1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
It has become trendy for successive Nigerian governments to embark on extravagant public measures to tackle corruption in the voting system throughout the years.
The study’s conclusions will be extremely useful to federal government palatals and research institutes.
Again, the researcher in this area will find the work very beneficial because it will serve as a good source of information for anyone interested in the reasons of corruption in the Nigerian electoral process. This study can also act as a motivation for the Nigerian government to fight corruption and assist the administration in waging war on it.
1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following research questions have been developed to lead this study:
1. To ascertain how corruption in the Nigerian voting system can be eliminated.
2. To explore how corruption affects Nigeria’s voting system.
3. Determine whether corruption leads to election result manipulation in Nigeria.
1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study will focus on corruption and the credibility of Nigeria’s voting process. 2007-2015.
1.7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
During the process of conducting this research, the researcher encountered certain constraints that attempted to prevent the researcher from carrying out the investigation.
a. One of the problems was time; the time allotted to do the investigation was insufficient.
b. The office formalities that one had to go through before reaching the important officials were nearly an impediment to the study. Because there were so many
c. Non-disclosure areas as a result of management decision. That information was labelled “classified” by the officer. As a result, the researcher will recognise that the investigation was limited as a result of not having access to specific documents and information since the disclosure is unfit for public consumption.
Inadequate funding was what the researcher uncounted; they did not have enough money to photocopy documents for the research, pay for transportation, or print questions.
d. Another obstacle impeding the completion of this research is the refusal of some respondents to cooperate.
1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Immoral practices: This can be defined as any dishonest or illegal behaviour or patterns of a person’s life that usually leads to the disintegration of a society’s order.
Population: The total number of people living in a specific geographical area at any given time.
Constituency: The citizens of a congressional district who vote for and are represented by their congressperson for the duration of the congressional term.
– Democracy: Democracy, also known as democratic government, is defined as “a system of government in which all citizens of a state or polity participate in making decisions about its affairs, typically by voting to elect representatives to a parliament or similar assembly.”
Electoral process: An election is a formal decision-making process in which a population choose a person to hold public office.
Government: – the system that governs a country or group.
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