ABSTRACT
This study examined corruption and its effects on electoral process in Nigeria.
The study revealed that; corruption in the electoral process succeeded in obliterating the integrity of security agency in Nigeria as Police sector that is supposed to provide security of lives and properties are found on a lot of occasions to be co-conspirator in rigging of elections and other dubious acts that rendered electoral process faulty; electoral corruption has led to stealing of ballot boxes, alteration of results, underage and multiple voting, intimidation of voters and harassment of opposition, manipulation and delay of election tribunal verdicts and blockage of justice in all segments of the society; Corruption has undermined democracy and good governance by flouting or even subverting formal processes, and as a result, has led to the failure to ensure accountability of the ruler to the ruled as well as the inability of the state to make officials accountable for their actions and bring corrupt officers to justice.
The study concluded that; electoral corruption has impacted negatively on decision making in government, mainly because the government that emerges from falsified electoral process spends better part of its term in office to fight legal battles with opposition parties at election tribunals. The study further recommended that; the country’s electoral processes should be overhauled in order to inculcate credibility in it; it is important the government launch national reorientation programmes; there should be increase awareness on the economic, political, social and legal cost of corruption and corrupt practices on individual and the society at large; the anti-corruption bodies such as the EFCC and ICPC should be involved in electoral process in order to screen candidates contesting for a public post so as to ensure the candidate’s integrity and virtuousness (incorruptibility); the government should create adequate job opportunities for the unemployed youths in order to keep them engaged; strict punishment should be applied to political thugs, terrorist, kidnappers and bandits caught.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background to the Study
Corruption in Nigeria is as old as Nigeria. It is deeply rooted in the ethos, practices, conduct, beliefs, sayings, culture, idiosyncrasies and heritage of Nigeria, (Oliyide & Odeku, 2012). Corruption exhibits itself in the ostentatious way of life of the people, especially partying, praise singing, squandering of riches. It is a global phenomenon which has been with societies all through history; it has as well contributed to political and economic instability in societies and depending on the scale, (Aluko, 2016). According to President Buhari (2015), corruption is the greatest form of human right violation, while to Oxford Learners Dictionary, corruption implies, dishonest or illegal behaviour, particularly of people in authority. It implies a behaviour which deviates from the formal duties or responsibilities of a public role, mainly because of personal or private gains, (Eme, 2015). This behaviour includes bribery, use of a reward to avert the judgment of an individual in a position of trust, electoral malpractices, nepotism and misappropriation or illegal appropriation of public resources for private uses. Corruption implies any act of wrongful doing, act of violating public norms or deviation from honesty to dishonesty, (Odunuga, 2017).
Generally, corruption is an impediment to national development, and if not addressed properly as a precedence, it could adversely affect the development agenda, both at the international and the national levels, (Akindele, 2015). At a minimum, the fight against corruption requires unconditional commitment from the political leadership and a corruption free judiciary system. The perfect democratic orientation of any contemporary day society is to encourage the participation of citizens in the governance of his or her society, (Akindele, 2015). Political corruption can be generally understood as an immoral behaviour, which defies the norms and cultures of the system of political order, (Heidenheimer & Johnston, 2013). According to Madichie (2014), corruption is a practical problem that involves the outright theft, stealing of funds or other appropriation of state property, favoritism, and granting of favour to personal associate. Casmir, Omeh, and Ike (2016) argued that, corruption involves behaviours which deviate from the moral and constitutional requirements.
Corruption now appears to have turned out to be a permanent feature of the Nigerian polity, (Ogundiya, 2016). It had become completely institutionalized, entered into the realm of culture and the value-system; it is now a norm and no longer an aberration. The young ones are born into it, grew up in it, lived with it, and possibly die in it. The aged aren’t left out as they are resocialised and begins to conform to it, (Obayelu, 2014). In Nigeria, corruption has turn out to be so naturalized that, a lot of citizens simply become corrupt without making any effort and often even without knowing it, (Alemika, 2016). Corruption is an ethical and moral problem which differs from country to country, time to time, and culture to culture, (Aluko, 2012).
According to Seteolu (2014), the Nigerian society is patriarchal where political power is personalized, and leadership is permanent in the context of self-recruited oligarchy. According to him, these socially imbibed values are seen in the political field where competing coalitions accumulate resources to offset side payments required to retain or expand followership in the context of power politics. The violent struggle in the public space is connected to conflicts that characterize leadership succession in traditional political systems and the attractions of political control where party politics guarantee access to wealth and economic power, (Atelhe, & Agada, 2016)
Electoral process can be viewed as the way or method by which elections are conducted in a political system in order to choose those who will occupy elective positions. The common elements of electoral processes include the legal framework for elections, an accurate and complete voters‟ register, campaign period, voting process, counting of votes and collation of results, announcement of results, election petitions and presentation of certificate of return to winners. The electoral process in the country is being handled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), (Nwabuzor, 2018).
Corruption is even more detrimental in political arena as it produced a faulty process of elections and undesired leadership that has no national interest but rather self service and personal aggrandizement, (Ogundiya, 2016). There are a lot of dimensions of corruption from bribery, extortion, bureaucratic abuse, illegal practices to the electoral corruption which is the major concern of this work. Corruption is a great obstacle to free and fair elections in Nigeria, (Ogundiya, 2017; Olarinmoye, 2018). Electoral process in Nigeria is bedeviled with corruption and corrupt practices including vote buying, bribing of electoral officials and security personnel, buying of party agents for anti-party activities and rigging of elections, (Adetula, 2016; Human Rights Watch, 2020).
Despite the widely acclaimed credibility of the 2015 General Elections, there was no election in the history of the country that money politics played a greater influence where trillions of Naira (billions of dollars) were allegedly spent in the electoral process, (EFCC, 2017 and INEC, 2017). Thus, corruption has negative impacts on elections and electoral process in Nigeria. The 2019 Presidential Election is seen as one of the most fraudulent elections in Nigeria with several cases of ballot box hijack, electoral malpractices, rigging, etc.
Therefore, it is important that this study is carried out to assess corruption and its effects on electoral process in Nigeria by looking at its causes and how it can be eradicated.
1.2. Statement of the Problems
The issue of corruption continues to draw lots of scholastic attention in Nigeria as a result of the negative impression and reputation that Nigeria earned for herself in corruption and electoral malpractices. It is seen in Nigerian environment as an act deliberately perpetrated by policy makers (Fatai, 2015) and a contradiction of democratic values and principles by politicians thereby thwarting accountability and transparency (Ackerman, 2012). Corruption is systemic in Nigeria leading to a particularistic political culture in which values are allocated based on one’s connections in the society and not merit, (Asobie, 2017). The weakening of political institutions and lack of political willingness in combating corruption made it a bane for good governance and development in Nigeria, (Saliu, 2016). The efforts to fight corruption were sabotaged by policymakers as anti-graft agencies were politicized and turned into a tool for intimidation of opposition, (Fatai, 2016).
Nigeria is a democratic state today but its electoral system is faulty and even the electoral system of the so called advanced democracies too are faulty, (Ackerman, 2012). The corrupt political process has entirely corrupted the political and socioeconomic aspects of the country including elections and electoral process in Nigeria, (Ackerman, 2012). The corruption in the political system includes the demand for electoral politics, the extensive use of clientalism in political appointments and distribution of societal resources and the use of dubious electoral malpractices, (Balboa & Medalla, 2018; Bailey, 2016). The Nigerian elite is parasitic and exploitative feasting fat on national treasury which made them to form a criminal syndicate who manipulated the process of consolidating themselves into power through maneuvering the political process including vote buying and rigging of elections results, (Ogundiya, 2017). It is obtainable within our political system and behaviour that vote buying and selling, voting for ethnic and religious sentiments and all sorts of irregularities are entrenched in our democratic system. Such behaviours corrupted the masses too since they are a party to it.
The major impediment behind free and fair elections in Nigeria is political corruption, (Ogundiya, 2017; Olarinmoye, 2018). The impacts of such corruption on the politics of the country include crisis of legitimacy; lack of party ideology, weak political institutions; economic underdevelopment and political violence, (Ogundiya, 2016). The role of “Godfatherism” initiated electoral corruption, (Olarinmoye, 2018). Some power brokers with sufficient financial muscles sponsored their anointed godsons for political offices in return for lucrative contracts and spoils of the public treasury looting. They sponsored thugs, bribed the electoral stakeholders, influenced voters through vote buying and all sorts of electoral manipulation to ensure that their candidates scale through and control power at all levels (Human Rights Watch, 2020).
Based on the above backdrop, it is imperative to undertake a review of the causes, effects and probable solutions to this menace in order to fill the gap by examining the effects of corruption on the electoral process in Nigeria, using the 2019 Presidential election.
1.3. Research Objectives
The primary objective of this study is to investigate corruption and it effects on electoral process in Nigeria. However, the specific objectives of the study will be to:
- examine the influence of corruption in determining electoral process and results in Nigeria;
- determine the effect of corruption on political violence in Nigeria
- examine the effect of corruption on the democratic process in Nigeria;
- find out the policies and strategies in place to curb corruption in Nigeria
1.4. Research Questions
To achieve the objectives of the study, the research sought to answer the following questions:
- What is the influence of corruption in determining electoral process and results in Nigeria?
- To what extent is the effect of corruption on political violence in Nigeria?
- How has corruption affected the democratic process in Nigeria?
- What are the policies and strategies in place to eradicate corruption in Nigeria?
1.5. Scope of the Study
This study will look into how corruption has affected electoral process and will cover the 2019 Presidential election in Ogun State. The study variables will be restricted in the area of corruption and electoral process in Nigeria, and the study year is the 2019 Presidential election in Ogun State.
1.6. Significance of the Study
The findings of this study will be beneficial to the government, as it will enable the government and relevant authorities put in place policies that will penalize or punish offenders of corrupt practices during election and beyond. This study would equally be useful to all sphere of the country in ensuring that the issue of corruption is checked, monitored and controlled in order to promote a free and fair electoral process in the country. In addition, researchers interested in examining corruption and its effects on electoral process in Nigeria will find the study very useful in the governance and system of Nigeria. Finally, the study will provide policy makers with institutional frameworks and policy inputs in the area of policy formulation in regard to curbing corruption.
1.7. Methodology of the Study
The methodology of this study will be qualitative in nature, which involves the use of secondary data for the source of information. The secondary sources shall be through journals, reports, articles, newspapers, treaties, textbooks and various statutes which would be obtained from online sources. The issue under discussion is a global menace which cuts across all the countries of the world, there have been so many literatures on the subject matter across the globe, this shall be referred to in discussing the topic at hand.
1.8. Operational Definition of Terms
Bribery: is the payment of a fixed sum, a certain percentage of a contract, or any other favour in money of kind paid to the state official in charge of making contracts on behalf of the state or otherwise distribute benefits to companies or individuals, businessmen and clients
Corruption: is defined as diversion of resources from the betterment of the community to the gain of individuals at the expense of the community.
Embezzlement: is theft of public resources by public officials, and as such it is understood as another form of misappropriation of public funds
Favouritism: is a mechanism of power abuse implying “privatization” and a highly biased distribution of state resources, no matter how these resources have been accumulated in the first place
Fraud: is a crime that involves some kind of trickery, swindle or deceit, and it is a broader legal and popular term that covers both bribery and embezzlement.
Electoral Process: is defined as the way or method by which elections are conducted in a political system in order to choose those who will occupy elective positions
National Development: refers to the ability of a nation to improve the lives of its citizens. Some of the measures are increase in gross domestic product, improving literacy rates, improving medical facilities, and increase in infrastructural development and per-capital income.
1.9. Chapterization of the Study
This study is organized into five main chapters. Chapter one entails the background, statement of problems, research objectives, research questions and hypotheses, and significance and scope of the study. Chapter two consists of the literature review that reveals the findings and research that already exists on the topic. Chapter three summarizes the scope and methodology used to organize and carry out this study. The discussion of the results after analysis of the findings and comparison to the information revealed within the literature review is conducted within Chapter four. Chapter five provides a summary of the study, its limitations and further recommendations.
