Money is breaking democracy in Nigeria

Nigeria has had 23 years of unbroken civilian rule since 1999, and commemorates this return to democratic governance on June 12. The Dialog Africa requested political scientist Ayo Olukotun to replicate on the nation’s democratic journey to this point and the issues hindering this technique of presidency.

What’s your evaluation of the journey to this point?

It’s a chequered journey, with ups and downs. There’s not sufficient stability within the system. The standard of elections alone is beneath par when it comes to administration and logistics. And there’s nonetheless occasional violence. Earlier than, throughout and after the final election in 2019, 623 individuals died.

We are able to’t conduct polls with out the shutdown of the whole nation. And in some areas of Nigeria it may even be harmful to exit and vote.

Apathy and disconnection are the end result. The Impartial Nationwide Electoral Fee was complaining in regards to the big variety of voters’ playing cards that haven’t been collected. The 2019 presidential ballot witnessed solely 35 per cent voter turnout.

The noninclusive character of the federation can also be a part of the issue. Which means swathes of residents are excluded from the method of governance in a top-heavy configuration.

Younger individuals really feel disenfranchised. They’re the demographic majority however they’re poorly represented.

Ladies are additionally underrepresented. If girls take some time to return into the political area, they’re discriminated in opposition to. There are cultural and non secular obstacles to girls’s participation in politics. But, in the event that they don’t make an effort they don’t have any voice.

So, Nigeria’s democratic journey has not been easy in any respect.

Cash is broadly used to have an effect on outcomes. What’s the influence?

So long as cash should buy votes, the way forward for democracy is unsure.

The Peoples Democratic Social gathering’s conference has simply elected a presidential candidate out of about 15 aspirants. Two of the celebration’s presidential aspirants, Peter Obi and Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, mentioned {dollars} have been being rained down on delegates as a means of wooing them to vote. This additionally occurred within the 2018 Peoples Democratic Social gathering conference in Port Harcourt.

Except for this, the 2 dominant political events in Nigeria, the ruling All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Social gathering, promote their expression of curiosity kind and nomination varieties for big quantities of cash to presidential aspirants. These varieties are offered by the political events to members who’re aspiring to contest political places of work below their platforms. Aspirants in Nigeria should belong to a political celebration as a result of, as of now, the nation’s electoral regulation doesn’t permit impartial candidacy.

This locks out a major majority of the inhabitants. If about half of the inhabitants can’t make ends meet and also you ask individuals to pay as excessive as 100 million naira (about US$240,000) for expression of curiosity and nomination varieties, you have got disenfranchised them.

That is the largest disincentive to youth participation as a result of younger individuals are the poorest. They’re additionally probably the most affected and stricken by the Nigerian trauma – unemployment, insecurity, police brutality, absence of social safety assist coverage and corruption.

So the impact is extra direct on them. They can not provide you with the cash and that’s an issue.

What’s occurring is that previous politicians are recycling their sons, their daughters and their in-laws into the political area. Those that don’t have godfathers or dad and mom who can recycle them don’t have any likelihood.

The necessity for cash additionally makes it worse for ladies. Solely a small share of ladies in Nigeria are able to search out the sort of cash required to take part.

How can the development of exclusion be reversed?

It’s a paradigm shift. The older era fashioned the Motion Group and another political events within the Fifties. The Motion Group was a Nigerian nationalist political celebration established in Ibadan on 21 March, 1951, by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. It was disbanded after the navy took over the reins of presidency in 1966.

They have been intentional about how the dividends of democracy have been shared primarily based on their contributions to the celebration’s success. It’s because they got here collectively to kind events. Members, together with farmers and peasants, contributed cash to fund their events. They voted for his or her leaders primarily based on integrity. The leaders who emerged served the individuals.

Now we now have vote patrons and sellers.

We are able to undertake the previous era’s funding choice for political events. It would take a number of work but when we now have lots of people with integrity, the system will start to alter. You’ll be able to’t have change with out some sacrifices. We’d like crusaders to steer the marketing campaign.

The opposite choice is fund elevating, which is what they do in the US. However there should be transparency: you should make public what you get.

What ought to Nigeria do to reinforce democracy?

First, determine the issues. These embrace disenfranchisement of ladies and younger individuals, the position of cash within the electioneering course of, corruption and skewed federalism.

Others are the exclusiveness of the nation’s democracy, the ethno-regional areas and inequality, mass illiteracy, vote shopping for and promoting, the hijacking of the political course of by moneybags and godfatherism.

These issues might be solved by enactment and enforcement of legal guidelines. You additionally want moral campaigns and political training. And the leaders should set the instance.

Ayo Olukotun, Professor and Chair of the division for Governance and Political Science, Olabisi Onabanjo College

This text is republished from The Dialog below a Inventive Commons license. Learn the unique article.