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🇳🇬 Nigeria /Elections & Politics

The politician’s hand and the voter’s mouth

From The Punch · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Analysis Named sources Context piece
  • Ekiti state governorship election saw voters paid between N10,000 and N15,000 to display marked ballots, undermining the democratic process.
  • Despite efficient technology like BVAS, the election's high cost and alleged vote-buying indicate a "quantifiable nadir" for Nigerian democracy.
  • The article argues that widespread poverty drives citizens to sell their votes, posing a greater threat to Nigeria's future than technical glitches.

Nigeria's democratic project has hit a new low, with the recent Ekiti governorship election revealing a stark reality: voters were paid between N10,000 and N15,000 to display their marked ballots. News outlets reported chilling dispatches, and communication scholar Dr. Marcel Mbamalu confirmed the "quantifiable nadir," stating, "The price of democracy was N15,000 last Saturday."

While election officials praised the poll's peace and the efficiency of the BVAS machines, the landslide victory for Governor Biodun Oyebanji, who reportedly "bought" 319,224 votes, concealed a more sinister tally. Party agents distributed numbers like raffle tickets, and despite the presence of the EFCC and police threats, no arrests were made. This raises questions about whether other parties were outspent or complicit.

The mathematics of the election is devastating: 319,224 votes at N15,000 each equates to N4.78 billion for a mandate. The central question is no longer who won, but the cost of democracy when the ballot has a fixed price. This systemic rot is further illustrated by a private encounter where a former local government chairman, facing personal financial hardship, considered shifting his loyalty based on monetary offers.

The author argues that Nigeria stands at a precipice, with desperation and poverty driving citizens to dismantle the nation "plank by plank." The greatest threat to the collective future is not technological glitches but the "hollowed-out belly of the Nigerian citizen," who is willing to sell their vote due to extreme hardship.

The price of democracy was N15,000 last Saturday.

— Dr Marcel MbamaluA communication scholar and publisher, commenting on the cost of votes during the Ekiti governorship election.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by The Punch. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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