Money politics and vote buying in Nigeria: implications on democratic governance in Kwara State
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2018
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Department of Sociology, University of Ilorin
Abstract
A free and fair election is sine qua non to democratic survival in any nation. Election periods are defining moment in all democratic process because it is the only means of political recruitment known to the principle of democracy. However, politicians have become desperate to win electoral contests by deploying financial and material resources to entice the electorates in order to win. This trajectory led to the prevalence of vote buying and the emergence of money politics in Nigeria and other democracies. It is against this backdrop that this paper attempts to examine the root causes of this phenomenon and its implications on democratic consolidation in Nigeria with particular reference to Kwara State. Secondary source of data was adopted and thematic data analysis technique is used to analyze the data. The paper found that there is a link between money politics and vote buying. It also observed that the act is not peculiar to Nigeria and Kwara State alone rather it is a global phenomenon. However, it discovered that its dimension in Kwara State is alarming and disturbing as a result of its negative implications especially in the aspect of weakening governance apparatus leading to democratic decay. The paper therefore put forward a number of recommendations on how to make vote buying less attractive to the moneybags
Description
Keywords
Money politics, vote buying
Citation
Abubakar, A., Bakare, A. R. & Babaita, T. A. (2018): Money politics and vote buying in Nigeria: implications on democratic governance in Kwara State. Ilorin Journal of Sociology. 10 (1); 178-194, Published by Department of Sociology, University of Ilorin