| dc.description.abstract | The growing influence of money in Nigeria’s politics, manifested in vote-buying “buying the ballot” and undue influence over the judiciary “buying the bench.” This poses a serious threat to democratic integrity in the country. Although Nigeria has legal provisions regulating political finance, weak enforcement, loopholes, and institutional constraints have allowed illicit funding practices to persist. Strengthening party finance regulation is essential to restoring public trust, ensuring electoral fairness, and safeguarding judicial independence. While the Electoral Act 2022 establishes limits on campaign spending and requires political parties to disclose their finances, enforcement remains weak.1 Furthermore, allegations of financial inducements in judicial processes during election petitions have raised concerns about attempts to sway court decisions. Such practices contribute to the perception that electoral outcomes and legal rulings can be influenced by financial power.
Thus, the dual challenge of astronomical campaign costs and the perceived influence of financial interests on the judiciary has eroded public confidence in both the ballot box and the bench. This brief argues for a robust overhaul of the Electoral Act 2022 and the strengthening of oversight mechanisms to limit private financing, enhance transparency, and insulate democratic institutions from plutocratic capture. This policy brief recommends targeted legislative interventions, including:
1. Legislative Reform of Campaign Finance
• Mandatory Disclosure: Amend the Electoral Act to require real-time, digital disclosure of all individual and corporate donations above a specific threshold (e.g., ₦1,000,000) on a public INEC portal.
• Stricter Spending Caps: Review and downwardly adjust spending limits to reflect economic realities and encourage a more level playing field.
• Ban on Opaque Contributions: Prohibit "third-party" or "support group" spending that is not channeled through official party accounts.
2. Institutional Strengthening of INEC
• Establishment of an Election Offences Commission: Decouple the prosecution of financial electoral crimes from INEC’s administrative duties to ensure dedicated focus on tracking illicit campaign funds.
• Forensic Auditing Units: Provide specialized training and technology for INEC’s Political Party Monitoring (PPM) department to track digital transfers and "dark money" during election cycles.
3. Judicial Insulation and Reform
• Automated Case Assignment: Implement digital systems for assigning election petition judges to minimize targeted lobbying of specific justices.
• Financial Autonomy: Ensure full implementation of judicial financial autonomy to reduce the dependence of the bench on executive or political largesse for infrastructure and welfare.
4. Incentivizing Low-Cost Participation
• Statutory Limits on Party Forms: Legislate a maximum ceiling for the cost of party nomination forms to prevent parties from using them as a revenue-generating or exclusionary tool.
• Public Financing Models: Explore a "matching funds" model where the state provides limited subsidies to parties that demonstrate a broad, small-donor base and gender-inclusive tickets. | en_US |
