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Democracy for Sale: Examining the Phenomenon of the Cost of Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms for Major Parties in Nigeria’s 2023 General Election

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  • Usman Sambo
  • Babayo Sule
  • Umar Adamu
  • Muhammad Andi Septiadi

Abstract

Elections in Nigeria are increasingly turning democratic practice into a bazaar for the highest bidder. Preparations for the 2023 General Election, especially the purchase of statements of interest and nomination forms, as well as party primaries, threaten to squeeze non-super-rich candidates out of participation. This study examines how Nigerian democracy is being manipulated into a business of the highest bidder by examining the costs of the entire process of nomination and party primaries in the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party. The study draws on face-to-face in-depth interviews selected on the basis of criteria such as accessibility, relevance, and quality of information. The informants were classified into different categories. The data obtained from the interviews were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Clientelism is adopted as a framework to explain this phenomenon. The study found that APC and PDP deliberately drive up the cost of nomination to displace poor and non-rich competitors. The impact is evident in the reckless use of money during the parties’ primaries where the process was conducted in dollars. Transparency is being circumvented and to restore integrity to nomination and party primaries in Nigeria, reforms that go beyond politics to include civil society, the electorate, international partners, and other stakeholders are needed.

Suggested Citation

  • Usman Sambo & Babayo Sule & Umar Adamu & Muhammad Andi Septiadi, 2024. "Democracy for Sale: Examining the Phenomenon of the Cost of Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms for Major Parties in Nigeria’s 2023 General Election," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(2), pages 21582440241, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:14:y:2024:i:2:p:21582440241251768
    DOI: 10.1177/21582440241251768
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Arthur E. Davies, 2021. "Money Politics in the Nigerian Electoral Process," Advances in African Economic, Social and Political Development, in: Rotimi Ajayi & Joseph Yinka Fashagba (ed.), Nigerian Politics, chapter 0, pages 341-352, Springer.
    2. Babayo Sule & Bakri Mat & Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Sani & Saalah Yakubu Ibrahim, 2019. "Sources of political parties’ campaign expenditure in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic: Examining the 2015 General Election," International Area Studies Review, Center for International Area Studies, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, vol. 22(4), pages 369-389, December.
    3. Jordan Gans‐Morse & Sebastián Mazzuca & Simeon Nichter, 2014. "Varieties of Clientelism: Machine Politics during Elections," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 58(2), pages 415-432, April.
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