MONEY POLITICS AND VOTE BUYING IN NIGERIA’S FOURTH REPUBLIC

IMPLICATIONS FOR NATIONAL SECURITY

Abstract

Money politics and vote buying have been at the root of Nigeria’s political crisis, beginning from the return to civil rule in 1999. In spite of it importance to party politics and electioneering campaign, the negative impact of money politics and vote buying have discredited the democratic process in Nigeria and posed serious threat to national security. Primarily, the aim of this paper is to examine the implications of money politics and vote buying in Nigeria’s fourth republic for national security. The paper is rooted in securitization theoretical explanations. Data were generated from secondary materials and content analytical method was adopted. It revealed that: money-politics and vote buying are the major factors that stimulate bad governance, controversies, social conflicts, ethno-religious crises, violence, militancy, separatist agitations, insurgency and all forms of threats to human lives, properties and national security. The paper argues that Nigerian electioneering process since 1999 is characterised by high profile money-politics and vote buying regime such that the power of incumbency, activities of money bags, special interest individuals, political machines and godfathers create tension and security crisis in the polity. This largely destabilises the political order and provoke all forms of crisis and threats to national security. The paper concludes that except money politics is discouraged and the scourge of poverty with other ill-factors addressed, desperate political elites will continue to take advantageous of the bastardised system to ruin the future of the hard won democracy by creating tension and security crisis in the polity.