December 03, (THEWILL) – When former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, recently revealed in court how he helped orchestrate an operation about a decade ago to fly the sum of N1.2bn ($7.5m) in cash to the then Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, on the eve of election in the state, it shone unflattering light on the backroom deals and transactional money politics undermining Nigeria’s political integrity.
This latest glimpse into brazen vote buying involving stolen taxpayer funds to tilt the playing field serves as a microcosm for the macro dysfunctions choking the lifeblood from Africa’s largest democracy.
The revelations feed public perceptions that since it seized power through underhanded means a decade ago, the political class has only further perfected tactics for capturing control of governance institutions to perpetuate business as usual. In turn, ordinary citizens see hopes continuously dashed for accountability and inclusive development.
Cynicism understandably abounds when votes appear easily purchasable for the right price and justice is available for sale to the highest bidder. Although Obanikoro shed light on past wrongdoing, present inaction to deter future abuses risks turning the post-2023 election cycle into further reinforcement of impunity’s enduring reign.
Lamentably, many of the governorship and legislative seats decided saw candidates widely accused of misusing public office in the past completely outspend opponents. Recently, courts sided with several prominent candidates who lost after judges voided results from select polling stations or even whole local government areas over purported irregularities or technicalities in the appeals.
Given a long history of judges delivering suspect rulings to cement illegitimate electoral victories secured through money politics, these latest judgments cast further doubt on the credibility of the process.
The prevalence of politicians today employing illicit funds to sway electoral outcomes or buy off judges speaks to the normalisation of corrupt behaviour that has slowly hollowed out Nigeria’s democratic institutions for over two decades. Since the return to civilian government in 1999, money politics has become the lifeblood of a dysfunctional system of governance that is consistently failing ordinary Nigerians.
Beyond explicit vote buying and legalised forms of vote solicitation, the crisis manifests through politicians channelling largesse through well-oiled patronage networks, with beneficiaries expecting manifold returns upon victory at the ballot. Having captured control over public purse strings, elected officials syphon funds towards a coterie of supporters at alarming rates rather than the provision of basic services for citizens.
With anti-corruption watchdogs keeping only a select subset of predatory elites partially at bay, each election cycle the political class repurposes yet more of the proverbial “national cake” away from development priorities into the bottomless pit of self-enrichment schemes veiled as campaign spending. Cynical horse-trading overcharges between party chieftains shopping for the highest bidder party slot have become routine.
In the euphoric days surrounding the 1999 transition from military dictatorship, even seemingly flawed elections provided a source of hope, marking gradual, if uneven, progress. Yet, after witnessing billions pilfered from public coffers disappear into politicking once again while their daily struggles continue unabated, many citizens now summarise their view as founded on the need for a different kind of democracy where money and godfathers are not deciding factors.
With the country at a political, economic and social inflection point, given mounting nationwide insecurity and strikes stemming from economic pressures, establishment parties manifestly failed to present a clear alternative vision during campaigns. Rampant vote buying reinforced perceptions that acquiring power was largely a transactional endeavour among the elite, with ordinary voters serving as relatively meaningless pawns.
The turnout plummeted in some areas to barely a quarter of registered voters. Among the vast numbers disenchanted enough to stay at home exists fertile recruiting ground for violent entrepreneurial actors thriving in the current disorder.
Most youths view participating as either further legitimising a rigged game or sacrificing personal dignity for meagre handouts insufficient to even temporarily alleviate economic struggles. Those still clinging to hope invested years back during the #EndSARS anti-police brutality protests see them brutally crushed by the cynical political elite yet again beating democracy into further submission through brute force of ill-gotten gains. Where expectations for accountability and representation once flickered, darkness descends.
It worsens when there are scant repercussions for blatant abusers. Not too long ago, at the valedictory sitting of Nigeria’s 9th Senate, Senator Adamu Bulkachuwa revealed how he obtained favours from his wife, Justice Zainab Bulkachuwa, who was the President of the Court of Appeal, for his colleagues in the Senate. On Thursday last week, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Kano State, claimed on national TV that winning elections in Nigeria is beyond the casting of ballot papers, while reacting to the controversy surrounding the Kano State governorship elections.
The boldness of these politicians in making these public claims that ought to be political hara-kiri in healthy democracies is telling of the decline in the quality of our democracy.
To begin turning the tide against transactional money politics, it is pertinent that Nigeria initiates a full implementation and resourcing of an action plan as immediate as possible.
First, we must bolster enforcement capacities against vote buying with legislation instituting stringent sanctions against candidates, parties and voters verified as participating. Also, we have to provide supplementary funding for monitoring. Secondly, given documented abuses of power and illegal self-enrichment, Nigeria must prohibit anyone convicted on corruption charges from seeking office at any level for 10 years after fulfilling sentences.
Thirdly, we must fast-track legislative endorsement of campaign finance reforms that will formalise reasonable ceilings on spending and contributions to make races more competitive.
Fourthly, a structure to insulate anti-graft agencies from partisan interference and increase their funding levels to incentivise thorough investigation of embezzlement cases, especially those involving political aspirants or elected officials, must be constituted. Judges linked with questionable rulings must also face disciplinary review to signal impunity’s end.
Finally, Nigeria needs to reinforce measures to further strengthen the independence and integrity of INEC as an institution with sustained nationwide civic education on citizens’ rights and responsibilities during electoral processes.
With the controversies still surrounding his victory at the 2023 presidential election, through resolute leadership, President Bola Tinubu possesses a historic opening to implement reforms capable of gradually reducing money’s stranglehold over Nigeria’s democracy.
The revelations from Obanikoro on exploits aiding former Governor Fayose cement perceptions that seized power through crooked means a decade ago, the political class has only further perfected tactics for capturing governance institutions to perpetuate misrule and self-enrichment schemes veiled as leadership. When votes appear easily purchasable for the right price and justice for sale to the highest bidder, public hopes continuously dashed for accountability and inclusive development come as no surprise.
Although the former Minister shed light on wanton wrongdoing, present inaction to deter future abuses risks turning future election cycles into further reinforcement of impunity’s enduring reign in Nigeria. The choices ahead for President Tinubu and leaders of the National Assembly, as well as other newly elected leaders are clear. Seize this moment for decisive action or abet Nigeria’s democratic decay through inaction.
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