Afraid of the impending general elections in Nigeria in 2023, stakeholders have pointed the finger at poverty and a lack of ideology for the country’s significant political commercialization.
This was one of the numerous interventions during the most recent Toyin Falola Interview Series, which was broadcast on Sunday, May 22, 2023, across a variety of internet channels, drawing millions of viewers from Nigeria, Africa, and beyond. African voices have been amplified thanks in large part to the Toyin Falola Interview Series, which is led by Professor Toyin Falola, one of the most intelligent historians in Africa and based in the United States. Important figures in the African continuum have been discussed in the interview sessions.
This edition’s speakers came from a variety of political backgrounds in Nigeria. They included Dr. Hussaini Jibrin, a senior lecturer in the history and war studies department of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Kaduna, Nigeria; Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, the chairperson of the Transition Monitoring Group, a senior lecturer in the public law department of the University of Lagos, and the original director of the Women Advocates Research and Documentation Center (WARDC); Dr. Chido Onumah, a writer, journalist, and rights activist who is currently the coordinator of the African Centre for Media & Information Literacy (AFRICMIL), Abuja, Nigeria; Miriam Oke, who speaks for young people, is an associate editor at the Pan-African University Press and has an M.A. and B.A. in English from the University of Ibadan, among other places.
Professor Falola began by bringing up the topic of the commercialization of Nigerian politics, particularly in light of the upcoming elections in 2023. He said, ”They have been making fun of the APC’s 100 million naira form buy and the PDP’s 40 million naira form. We have estimated that on the day of the presidential election, a minimum of one billion naira will be needed to staff every polling place and guarantee that the votes are counted. It will need 200 billion naira for an independent political party to establish a framework and contend with the two major parties.
Dr. Onumah responded by saying that business investment has trumped public service in Nigerian politics. “The role of money in politics is one of the downsides of democracy if we want to describe it. When considering Nigeria, one could argue that the aftermath is more concerning. I do not wish to imply that Nigerian business is limited to politics. However, Nigeria’s main business is politics.
Many Nigerians see entering politics as essentially making an investment; they will stop at nothing to get entry, fully aware that once within the political system, they can use any means necessary to achieve their goals. It has to do with the way the state itself is constituted in terms of the benefits of political victory. In a political system where lawmakers, for instance, work part-time, you can see that few people would want to make a significant financial commitment to run for government. All evidence points to the conclusion that, in the end, the means justify the ends. You can afford to go to the banks and take out more loans for elections if you know that once you are in, you will recover your investment. If the end is going to be profitable, as a governor, you have access to an infinite amount of money, whether in the form of security votes and billions of naira you won’t account for. On the one hand, that is.
However, there is also the predicament that Nigerians find themselves in. People will want to take anything they can from you because the economy is in poor health and many political players do not share the benefits of democracy with their constituents; this has led to what is now known locally as “tummy infrastructure.” This implies that we should make the most of our current situation while keeping in mind that, once you take office, we won’t see you again—unless you decide to run for government again in four years,” he remarked.
According to Dr. Akiyode-Afolabi, the primary cause of the monetization of Nigerian politics is the twin evil of poverty and a lack of ideals. She claims, “The Nigerian electoral process has been monetized by the political class.” Nigerian politics are not ideological or issue-based. The only thing that can be supplied is money; there is nothing else. People are now extremely susceptible to the influence of money in politics due to the extreme poverty levels in the country.
If two major political parties exist in a nation other than the United States, you are aware of their respective ideologies. Sadly, though, I don’t think we can talk about that, either with the APC or the PDP; naturally, you can see how they switch between the two parties.
We have not paid attention to the philosophies of these parties, which is another reason money is booming. Since the parties’ campaigns have never been issue-based, they actually do not represent any beliefs. All they can do is investigate the people’s weaknesses and make financial offers. Because of this, we learned about stomach infrastructure for the first time while watching elections in Ekiti, Ondo, and it expanded significantly when they reached the Edo election. When you question the populace, they admit that they are aware that their votes are invalid. “Why don’t we take it if they are going to give us rice, salt, etc.” The political elite, in my opinion, is aware of this and is powerless to change it.
On the other hand, they demanded that the country’s constitution be rewritten, that more harsh penalties be applied to cases of electoral violence, that voters be given greater authority, that security be enhanced, and that young participation be increased.
Regarding youth involvement, Oke voiced concerns that the current political climate in the nation would prevent young people from fully engaging in politics. Youth involvement is quite low, at best. How many educated, well-informed young people do you see among the various political parties? Even after the not-too-young-to-contest bill was signed into law, how many young people can afford to enter this presidential contest? It’s ridiculous to expect young people to participate.
Except for the streets of Facebook and Twitter, young people’s involvement is still very low. More consciousness is required. Many young people lack PVCs and lack knowledge. A lot of people are unaware of what it takes to participate actively. It’s more than just discussing on Twitter, she maintained.
Prominent intellectuals were present in the audience.
