On Elections, Money, and the Promise of Peace & Social Justice….

 Nigeria is now just 6 months away from what could be its most consequential election, ushering in a new class of democratic leaders who will have the task of eradicating the burgeoning ranks of non-state armed actors who are currently making ‘much progress’ in destroying peace and instilling fear across the citizenry and communities. Can the Nigerian people use the upcoming election and the ballot box to safeguard their own lives? Or will it be election business as usual?

Democracy, at its core, is the idea that power belongs to the people, exercised freely, fairly, and without fear. But what happens when the ballot is no longer an expression of conscience, but a commodity with a price?

In Nigeria, that question is no longer theoretical. It is urgent.

A Democracy with a Cashier

Recent evidence shows that vote buying is not fading. It is growing. The National Bureau of Statistics reports that 22% of Nigerian adults were offered money for their votes in the 2023 general elections, up from 17% in 2019. Shockingly, four in ten of those who received offers say the inducement influenced how they voted.

International observers from NDI and IRI also documented “widespread incidents of vote buying” that reduced public confidence and damaged the credibility of the elections.

When financial inducements determine behaviour, elections no longer reflect the genuine will of the people. That is the first fracture. If citizens cannot choose without coercion or cash, we cannot call the outcome democratic in any meaningful sense.

The Price of a Purchased Mandate

A democracy bought is a democracy corrupted. Candidates with integrity but limited funds are priced out of the contest, while “electoral competition becomes centred on financial strength instead of leadership and positive transformation ability”. The result is a political class that often views office as a means to recover campaign spending, not to serve. They term it ‘investment.’

The downstream effects are predictable: misappropriation of public funds, poor service delivery, abandoned projects, and the diversion of resources meant for education, healthcare, infrastructure, and security.

Public trust collapses with it. When people believe outcomes are decided by money, not merit, they disengage. Voter turnout drops, civic participation weakens, and as the 2023 elections recorded, we saw one of the lowest turnout rates in Nigeria’s democratic history. Apathy is not laziness. It is a verdict.

Can Such a Democracy Deliver Peace and Social Justice?

Peace without justice is fragile. Social justice requires leaders who are accountable to the people, not to financiers.

But vote buying inverts that relationship. It breeds “political corruption, poor governance, reduced public trust, and slower national development”. Leaders who emerge through corrupt electoral practices are very likely to prioritise personal enrichment over public service.

You cannot build equitable schools, functional hospitals, or safe communities with a leadership culture that sees the treasury as a refund desk. In that environment, grievance festers, inequality widens, and the social contract frays. That is not a foundation for peace. It is a blueprint for instability.

Why It Persists, and What Must Change

This vote-buying phenomenon is escalating due to three drivers:

The solutions must match the scale:

Enforce the law: INEC and security agencies must increase surveillance at polling units and ensure prompt arrests, investigation and prosecution of offenders. The punishment must also match the crime, disqualify the offending candidate/party rather than requiring the payment of a paltry fine, which will simply be treated as an electoral expense.

The current Impunity is simply an invitation to entrench the vote-buying practice.

Reduce vulnerability: Sustainable poverty reduction and employment programmes make citizens less likely to trade votes for survival.

Re-educate the public: Voter education through schools, faith institutions, traditional leaders, and the media must stress that selling a vote often results in poor governance, corruption, and underdevelopment.

Clean up candidate selection: Political parties must prioritise competence, integrity, and leadership over financial influence.

Conclusion: Democracy Is Not a Transaction

Nigeria’s democracy cannot be true if the ballot is for sale and no one is held to account. And a democracy that cannot reflect the will of the people cannot deliver the peace and social justice it promises.

Elections are meant to be the people’s audit of power. When votes are bought and unchallenged, that audit fails.

It is ONLY when elections reflect the genuine choices of citizens that Nigeria achieve accountable leadership, democratic stability, and sustainable national development.

Until then, we are not practising democracy. We are auctioning it. So wake up