Vote Commodification and the Paradox of Election Credibility in Nigeria: Evidence from the Edo State 2016 Governorship Election

Abstract

Informal exchanges have constituted a clog in the wheel of progress in Nigeria electoral system. The choice of candidacy in an election should be the uninfringeable right of the voter which ought to be exercised without external influence. However, elections in Nigeria have lacked the virtues of credibility due to the fact that votes are commoditized and money has constituted the lubricant that drives choices in electoral exercises. Against this backdrop, this study examines vote commodification and election credibility in Nigeria using the Edo state 2016 gubernatorial election as a springboard. The survey research method was used and data were analyzed using the simple percentage method. It was discovered that the major reason people turn out for elections in Nigeria is because of the immediate financial or material gain that they could benefit. The study concluded that electoral outcome in Nigeria is not a true reflection of the democratic process rather a pattern of social behavior that is conditioned by informal exchanges. Indeed, the winner in Nigerian elections is the candidate who was able to flex financial muscles and a case of the highest bidder not necessarily the quality of the manifestoes or the integrity of the candidate. Therefore, it is the argument of this study that elections could be free and fair, but it is not all free and fair elections that are credible which the Nigeria situation has become.