An empirical appraisal of the role of money in Nigerian politics

Abstract

This study was conducted with the aim of ascertaining the impact of money on the quality of democracy and democratic consolidation in Nigeria. To achieve this major objective, the study employed the use of both primary and secondary data. The primary data consisted of questionnaires, while the secondary consisted of published materials. The study found that the use of money by politicians to influence the outcome of elections through vote buying among other malpractices in the country is firstly a consequence of the prevailing poverty and the expectation of the electorate for the aspiring politicians to dispense money. This development resulted in the lack of credibility of election results and in Nigeria's democracy. It is recommended that funding the electoral process must be reformed to make access and participation possible for a broader spectrum of society.