The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed a troubling increase in vote-buying in Nigeria’s North-West region during the 2023 general elections.
According to a recent report titled “Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and Trends Third Survey on Corruption as Experienced by the Population,” the incidence of vote-buying surged by 44 percent compared to the 2019 elections.
The report details that vote-buying in the North-West rose from 23 percent in 2019 to a staggering 55 percent in 2023.
The NBS found that a substantial portion of the electorate, 55 percent, reported being offered money or other favours in exchange for their votes.
Nationwide, the prevalence of vote-buying also saw an uptick, with 22 percent of voters reporting being directly promised money or favours during the 2023 elections, up from 17 percent in 2019.
Additionally, 10 percent of respondents stated that while they were not personally approached, other members of their household were offered inducements, compared to 5 percent in the previous election cycle.
Vote-buying, defined as soliciting votes in exchange for cash, commodities, or other favors, remains a pervasive issue in Nigeria’s electoral landscape.
The NBS report notes that 22 percent of Nigerians were directly promised money, while 9 percent were offered different types of favours.
This marks an increase from 2019, where 17 percent reported personal offers of money and 4 percent reported offers of other favours.
Despite the widespread nature of vote-buying, the NBS found that 55 percent of those offered money or favors claimed the inducements did not influence their voting choices.
However, 40 percent admitted that they voted for the candidate or party that provided the inducements.
The rise in vote-buying was consistent across various demographics, including sex, urban and rural areas, and age groups.
Interestingly, the South-West, South-South, and North-Central regions showed little to no change in vote-buying rates between 2019 and 2023.
During the 2023 elections, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) played a significant role in addressing vote-buying.
The EFCC apprehended over 65 individuals for alleged vote-buying and inducement across 28 states during the governorship and House of Assembly elections held on March 18.
Notably, the EFCC’s Kaduna zonal command detained 13 suspects, highlighting Kaduna State, a North-West state, as a hotspot for vote-buying activities.
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