Page 1 of 8

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at

http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/

ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 04 Issue 01

January 2018

Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 94

The Economic Value of Election in a Fragile

Democracy: Evidence and Synthesis from

Nigeria

Badmus Bidemi. G (Ph.D)

badmus.bidemi@dlc.ui.edu.ng

Research Fellow and Academic Advisor,

Political Science Department, Distance Learning Centre,

University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria;

Adjunct Lecturer/External Examiner Postgraduate Programmes,

Department of Political Science and International Relations,

Pan-African University Institute, Porto-Novo, Benin Republic;

Principal Administrative Officer and Assistant Electoral Officer,

Independent National Electoral Commission, Oyo State Headquarters

Abstract

This study argues that the fragile nature of Nigerian democracy is partly a result of persistence

contradiction between the real choice of electorates and the resultant outcome of election that

produce the governing elites. The foregoing paradigm is conditioned by unabated internal and

external economic pressures on election as a powerful instrument that is shaping the whole essence

of democratic process and democratic consolidation in Nigeria. Thus, Nigerian election and its

process have predominantly attracted economic values among the political stakeholders, who are

increasingly approaching election period as a crucial time for patronage, economic benefits and a

time to renegotiate other non conventional interests that are inimical to democratic values.

Keywords: democracy, election, market-value, Nigeria

Introduction

The departure of military from

Nigerian politics since 1999 has ushered in

the ongoing fourth republic that is presently

saddled with enormous challenges. The

prominent among the challenges confronting

Nigerian democracy in the fourth republic is

the level of inconsistence/contradiction

between the real choice of electorates in an

election and the outcome often produced by

such election which has negatively impacted

on peoples’ democratic confidence and

overall efforts at consolidating Nigerian

democracy.

The unabated influence of internal and

external economic pressures on election

process and its outcome in Nigeria has

tremendously motivated election and electoral

process in Nigeria to attract market value.

Unfortunately, the reason why attempts to

sustain and keep military out government is

heavily depends on how election, election

Page 2 of 8

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at

http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/

ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 04 Issue 01

January 2018

Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 95

process and election outcome can guarantee

immediate and future interests of few

powerful stakeholders, cater for immediate

needs of majority of the electorates and

reassure the entrenchment of the interests of

international stakeholders.

Suffice to say is that, in Nigeria if the

process of election, its conduct and predicted

outcome are perceived by some powerful

stakeholders as a threat to their economic and

political interests, the process and conduct of

such election is likely to be manipulated and

its outcome subverted at the detriment of

electorates’ will and democratic

consolidation.

The foregoing is further worsen by

current trends of socio-political orientation

within political cycle in Nigeria, that revolved

around personal aggrandizement, nepotism,

high premium placed on wealth, winner take

all approach, ethnic cleavages, religious

bigotry and corruption among others. As

documented in many literatures, the

pathologies listed above have impacted

negatively on the outcome of electoral contest

and democratic consolidation in Nigeria (see

Sklar, 1996; Dudley 1973; Nnoli, 1978, Ake,

1981; honvbare, 1999, Gboyega, 2003).

It is instructive to note that, more

often than not election in Nigeria is usually

approach by many stakeholders as a business

period (a time for patronage, time to

renegotiate personal interests, time to scrabble

for pittance by the electorates, to acquire

more wealth and a period to reaffirm

economic/political interests in Nigeria by

foreign actors/organizations). However,

election period should be majorly view as

time to make informed decision and

rechanneled new pathways for country

development and democratic consolidation).

This study is divided into five

sections, these includes. Conceptual

clarification, the monetary value of election

and implications for democratic consolidation

in Nigeria, theoretical evidence and synthesis,

the paper ends with conclusion and some

recommendations were made.

Conceptual clarification

Election

The importance of election in a

democratic system cannot be overemphasized

particularly in a country that is truly

committed to the norms and values of genuine

democracy, because election shapes the mode

of political competition and serve as a major

determinant of who get what, when and how.

As observed by Ntalaja (1997) in African, the

essence of representative democracy has been

increasingly reduced particularly to periodic

election and introduction of multipartyism.

According to Ayoade (1999) election

is describe as the process of achieving

representative democracy. In this regard,

election is seen as a method of choosing a few

people from multitude such that the few

people chosen are a true representative of the

large group. To Ayoade, the few elected are

supposed to be the mirror image of the

electorates in term of political programmes

and beliefs.

In the same vein, Joseph (1987: 18)

describes election as important starting point

for the existence of democracy, making it

possible for democratic government to be ‘by

person freely chosen by and responsible to the

governed. Put differently, elections represent

the system of making a choice that is

Page 3 of 8

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at

http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/

ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 04 Issue 01

January 2018

Available online: http://edupediapublications.org/journals/index.php/JSMaP/ P a g e | 96

presumed to be fair to all: the process that

leaves each member of the electorate with

reasonable hope of having his/her alternative

candidates elected (Wanyande (1987: 80). An

election is therefore an empirical

demonstration of a citizen’s liberty and

political choice. However, elections in

Nigeria have been fraught with disputes and

irregularities as a result of the prominent role

of money and other economic/political

benefits among others.

Democracy

Democracy is highly contested

concept due to its various interpretations

attached to its meaning, measuring and

operations both within and across different

countries. And it is of great interest to every

political scientist for the governance of man

because it holds out great hopes for the

salvation of mankind in general and of Africa

in particular. Awa,(1992). According to

Schumpeter (1976) democracy is describe as

a political method which involve an

institutional arrangement for arriving at

political legislative and administrative

decisions by vesting certain individuals the

power to decide on a certain matters as a

consequences of the successful pursuit of the

people’s vote.

To Schumpeter, the essence of

democracy was the emphasized on the ability

of citizens to replace one government by

another and hence protect themselves from

the risk of political decision makers

transforming themselves into an immovable.

Although democracy could serve a variety of

ends, such as the pursuit of social justice,

equality, welfarism, but he caution people not

to confuse these ends with democracy itself.

In the opinion of Toyo (1994)

democracy connotes the acceptance of the

basic principles of equality of men and human

together with basic responsibilities of all adult

men and women for their own destiny. Toyo

further argue that there cannot be a genuine

democracy in a country where citizen are

grossly unequal in wealth and the poor who

are inevitably the majority are dependent on

the wealthy. In another hand, Daniel Webster

in his address in 1830: thirty years before

Lincoln’s Gettysburg address, indirectly

refereed to democracy when he spoke of a

people’s government, made for the people,

made by the people and answerable to the

people.

In the view of Lewis (1965)

democracy implies that all who are affected

by a decision should have the chance to

participate in making that decision either

directly or through chosen representatives. He

concluded that if only the winning parties

makes all the governmental decisions and that

the losers only criticized but not govern, then

democracy is meaningless. Because to

exclude the losing groups or parties from

participation in decision making clearly

violate the primary meaning of democracy.

However, despite the disagreement on

the definition of democracy, the eight criteria

proposed by Robert Dahl (1971) in his

seminar book ‘polyarchy still command wide

spread support: the eight criteria includes; (1)

right to vote (2) right to elected (3) the right

of political elites to complete for support and

votes (4) elections tat are free and fair (5)

freedom of association (6) freedom of

expression (7) alternatives source of

information, and (8) institution for making