Electoral Corruption and Outcomes of Election in Nigeria, 1999-2015

Abstract

Democracy is a form of government that promises popular participation, rule of law, impartiality and popular consent; hence, it has increasing recognition and acceptance globally. Essentially, democracy does not work aloof as it is a function of numerous features, one of which is election. Election is one of the finest tools for democratisation, which presents a viable platform for periodic, credible and competitive contest and leadership recruitment. However, the centrality of free, fair and incorruptible electioneering processes in determining election outcomes, consolidation or democracy and enjoyment of legitimacy by democratic governments are not been contested by scholars. Regrettably, most of the third world democracies and Nigeria in particular violates the key tenets of democracy such as rule of law and credible elections. In other words the recruitment processes, elections and the subsequent emergence of political leaders in Nigeria undermines democratic ideals. Concerned by the afore-stated anomalies on Nigeria's political terrain, this study was provoked to examine the nexus between political corruption and election outcomes in Nigeria and to ascertain the implications of electoral corruption on Nigeria's democracy and political system. The tout theory of politics anchored the study whereas secondary data and content analytical design were used for the study, respectively. The paper reveals that electoral corruption is a function of a political system, which is a negation of democratic ideals. It therefore recommends effective and efficient corruption fight, effective and efficient regulation of party funding/spending and drastic reduction on the cost of governance.