Corruption
Vote buying and violence in Nigerian election campaigns
Exploring irregular modes of electioneering in Nigeria
Authors:
M. Bratton
Publisher:
Afrobarometer, 2008
Vote buying and political intimidation are important, if epiphenomenal, dimensions of Nigerian election campaigns. According to survey-based estimates, fewer than one out of five Nigerians is personally exposed to vote buying and fewer than one in ten experiences threats of electoral violence. But when, as commonly happens, campaign irregularities are targeted at the rural poor, effects are concentrated. These effects are as follows: violence reduces turnout; and vote buying enhances partisan loyalty. But, perhaps because most citizens condemn campaign manipulation as wrong, compliance with the wishes of politicians is not assured. Defection from threats and agreements is more common than compliance, especially where voters are cross-pressured from both sides of the partisan divide. The purpose of this article therefore, is to explore the nature, extent and effectiveness of irregular modes of electioneering in Nigeria.
The paper provides finding such as:
- Duelling lawsuits, boycott threats, and shifting alliances between opportunistic political parties and factions created a chaotic atmosphere of uncertainty. Election preparations – such as a delayed voter registration exercise – were woefully inadequate in 2007
- In 2007 voting for President and National Assembly failed to take place in certain polling stations in a half dozen states in the southeast and northeast due to the non-delivery of electoral materials. In numerous other locations across the country, ballot papers were misprinted or arrived late
- In the southern Niger Delta zone, armed militias brazenly stole ballot boxes or substituted pre-stuffed containers of their own in 2007. Despite guarantees from the Inspector General of Police that public security would be assured, opposition candidates were harassed
- Only 5 percent of Nigerians strongly support the “necessity” of using violence in pursuit of political goals. As might be expected, younger and less educated people are somewhat more tolerant of this aggressive approach to politics, but the differences are not statistically significant.
The paper also provides the following recommendations:
- There is less need for voter education than for a system of incentives and capabilities that will allow ordinary people to resist these misguided efforts to appropriate their votes
- Disarmament must come first because it makes little sense to convene elections in an environment of political insecurity where armed factions stand ready to intimidate opponents
- Essential is a culture of democratic citizenship that begins with a citizenry ready to insist on clean elections. In this regard, it is encouraging that so many African voters have moral objections to violence and vote buying.
