Abstract
This chapter examines the issue of money politics in Nigeria. In recent years, politics and elections have been seriously monetized. The political class appears to hold the belief that votes are commodities that could be bought off from the electorates. Once paid for, the electorates are robbed of the power to demand accountability. Money politics is driven by the high level of poverty in the country. The high level of poverty is the consequence of bad governance of policy. Despite the negative consequences of selling votes, it has been growing on an alarming rate. Poverty makes the electorates susceptible and thus exposes them to political manipulation that manifest in vote buying. This chapter examines the reasons for vote buying, the shapes it takes and the implications for the new democracy.
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Davies, A.E. (2021). Money Politics in the Nigerian Electoral Process. In: Ajayi, R., Fashagba, J.Y. (eds) Nigerian Politics. Advances in African Economic, Social and Political Development. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50509-7_18
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