CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1. BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
One of the fundamental problems of the democratization process in Nigeria is the conduct of free, fair and acceptable elections. Virtually all the elections conducted in the history of Nigerian politics have been characterized by one form of electoral problem or another. The 1959 election was widely condemned as unacceptable by most of the opposition parties (Post 2015; Ojigbo 2009; Dudley 2014). The 1963/64 election was also beset with problems and serious challenges, especially in the Western region and the middle belt, which crisis led to the collapse of the First Republic (Ingham 1997; Diamond 2015; Anifowose 2006); the opposition contested the results of the 1979 election, creating a crisis which led to the military takeover of the government (Joseph 2015). The 2010 elections adjudged the freest and fairest were annulled by the military government of Ibrahim Babangida. The 2015 elections the Nigerian people with no choice – the president who emerged was the product of the military. The 2013 elections were widely acclaimed to be massively fraudulent (Catholic Secretariat 2013), while those in 2007 were regarded as the worst ever conducted, at least partly because of the move from votes allocated by the electoral body to direct rigging. Among the problems associated with the conduct of elections in Nigeria are the electoral body, the electoral system and the electoral process. Nigeria has never had a truly independent electoral commission – the process of establishing them makes them part of the executive arm. For example, the 2015 Constitution vested in the hands of the president the responsibility for appointing the officers of the ‘Independent’ National Electoral Commission (INEC), which gives him the opportunity to appoint party loyalists. Hence, the general perception is that the INEC is a federal agency, rather than a federalising institution. The electoral system itself cannot be said to meet the demands of Nigerians. The first-past-the-post (FPTP) system and the secret ballot allow for all manner of irregularities and prevent adequate representation, which robs citizens of their right to elect credible politicians. In other words, both the FPTP and the secret ballot lead to ballot wastage, as only the winners (who win a minority of votes) are allowed to rule. In addition, the secret voting system allows for the manipulation of votes by the political elite and electoral institutions. The electoral process is also marred by irregularities ranging from the deliberate exclusion by the electoral agency, in collusion with the ruling party, of eligible voters from the voters’ register to the conduct of elections involving all manner of ballot manipulation for favoured candidates or parties. In all this, the votes of the electorate do not count. One of the major forms of irregularity is vote buying and vote selling. The development and sustenance of true democracy in Nigeria depends, to a large extent, on the
electoral system.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
In Nigeria, money politics and vote buying is one major challenge that confront democratic governance. The problem of money politics and vote buying has affected development in our country. The money used in the election is often recovered before any other thing is been done. Most politicians who preferred to use money to buy votes from the electorate cannot meet their daily needs, the politician gain their way and buy the conscience of the electorate and thereby bring leadership failure. It is in the light of the above that this study come up to address the problem of money politics and vote buying in the Nigerian politics.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of the study is to:
1. Identify the causes of vote politics in Benue State
2. Describe the major forms of vote buying politics and related threat to democratic governance
3. Identify the effects of vote buying politics in Benue State
4. Suggest ways of improving our political system.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following research questions were answered in the study.
1. What are the causes of vote politics in Benue State?
2. What are the major types of vote buying politics and related threat to democratic governance in Benue State?
3. How does vote buying politics affect democratic governance in Benue State?
4. What are the ways of improving our political system?
1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
The following research hypotheses were formulated for the study:
1. There are major forms of vote buying politics and threats to democratic governance in Benue State
2. There is no significant effect of vote buying politics on democratic governance in Benue State
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The study on vote buying and democratic sustenance will be of immense benefit to the people of Benue State. The study will establish a correlation between vote buying and democratic sustenance in Benue State. The study will explore the causes and methods of vote buying in Benue state during election and how best to remedy the effect of situation. The study will also serve as repository of information to other researchers that desire to carry out similar research on the above topic. Finally the study will contribute to the body of the existing literature on vote buying and democratic sustenance.
1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
The study will focus on vote buying and democratic sustenance. The study will cover on the causes of vote buying and how it affects the democratic sustenance in Benue State.
1.8 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview). Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.
1.9 DEFINITION OF TERMS
Vote buying: Vote buying is a widespread phenomenon. It is usually viewed as a purely economic exchange in which the voter sells his or her vote to the highest bidder.
Electoral fraud: Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election fraud, election manipulation or vote rigging, is illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of the favored candidate, depressing the vote share of the rival candidates, or both
Democracy: Democracy is a form of government in which the people have the authority to choose their governing legislation. Who people are and how authority is shared among them are core issues for democratic development and constitution. Sustenance: In accordance to this study is the ability of the people of Benue State to keep democratic practices safe.