By Nonyerem Ibiam Esq.
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Imagine it’s election day, and you are out to exercise your civic responsibility — to cast your vote and help shape the future of your country. You seem hopeful because it is an opportunity to elect leaders who will govern you. You wake early, clutching your voter’s card like a badge of honor, determined to make your vote count. The polling unit is already buzzing with people — men, women, and youths — some excited, others anxious. You queue patiently for hours under the scorching sun, ready to play your part in the democratic process.
Then, just as accreditation ends and voting begins, the atmosphere shifts. You hear the distant roar of motorcycle engines, growing louder. Suddenly, chaos erupts. A group of thugs armed with machetes and sticks storms the polling station, scattering voters in every direction. Ballot boxes are smashed, papers torn, and tossed into the air like confetti at a funeral of democracy. Fear grips your heart as people scream and scramble for safety. The police, who are supposed to protect voters, are nowhere to be found — or worse, they stand aside, watching.
But not every voter flees. Some confront the thugs with their bare hands. But the armed thugs meet blows with machete slashes, or worse, gunshots. It dawns on you that you are unarmed and no match for them, so you crouch behind a tree, trembling, watching as the well-armed thugs make away with the ballot boxes in broad daylight.
Hours later, as you trudge back home, the news begins to spread. What you just witnessed also happened in other parts of the country. Ballot boxes have been snatched; in some areas, election officers have been bribed or kidnapped; and in certain regions, votes are being falsified before they are even counted. The hope for “free and fair elections”, promised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the election monitoring body, fades into bitter irony.
Unfortunately, the above scenario seems to be the experience of many voters in Nigeria on election days. Citizens who spent months registering for and participating in the electoral process return home feeling deeply disappointed.
Elections are the cornerstone of democracy because they allow citizens to participate in the governance of their country. Elections give people the power to choose leaders who will represent their interests and make decisions on their behalf. It is through voting that citizens select candidates who reflect their views and priorities. By conducting regular elections, the public can hold elected officials accountable and remove them from office in subsequent elections.
The democratic process of free and fair elections gives legitimacy to the government. When leaders are elected by a majority, their authority is seen as deriving from the will of the people, which fosters stability. Elections encourage citizens to participate in public life. Through voting, individuals exercise their rights and play a role in shaping their society. This involvement helps create a sense of ownership and responsibility for the country’s direction.
Without elections, it is difficult for democracy to function and for the citizens to influence governance and ensure accountability.
In Nigeria, however, this important democratic process has been plagued by a disturbing trend: the criminalization of elections. The very act of voting in Nigeria, a democratic right meant to reflect the will of the people, has been turned into a battleground, where political ambition knows no ethical or legal bounds. The implications of this for Nigeria’s democratic future are profound and troubling.
In recent years, the corruption of the electoral process in Nigeria has led many local and foreign observers to conclude that the Nigerian election process looks more like a criminal activity than democratic governance. In fact, a recent ruling by a Canadian federal court, in an immigration case, determined that between 1999 and 2007, the ruling party in Nigeria at the time, engaged in widespread political violence and subversion of democratic processes.
The subversion of Nigeria’s democratic processes persists to this day. It is rare to find a
Nigerian election that is free from widespread criminal activities. One criminal activity associated with elections in Nigeria is the phenomenon of ballot box snatching. In many Nigerian elections, armed thugs, hired by politicians, invade polling stations, intimidate voters, and steal ballot boxes. Some of these notorious thugs and ballot box snatchers are later rewarded and given juicy positions by their politician paymasters.
These stolen ballot boxes are either stuffed with fraudulent votes or destroyed to reduce the chances of losing. This practice not only nullifies the votes of citizens but also erodes public trust in the electoral system. Voters, seeing their choices rendered meaningless, lose faith in the democratic process, feeling that their voices are insignificant in determining the country’s leadership. This results in voter apathy, where many people don’t participate in elections.
Notwithstanding its ban under the Electoral Act, the act of fabricating and falsifying election results, whether before or after elections, is emerging as a disturbing trend. The fabrication and falsification of election results involve the unlawful preparation, retention, or utilization of election result documents before or after the official conclusion of voting, counting, or sanctioned collation. In certain instances, result sheets (or forms) that claim to represent votes are either completed or withheld until after the event, manipulated, or completely fabricated, frequently intended to be used later to validate a predetermined outcome.
Another common crime that has plagued Nigeria’s elections is the rampant practice of vote buying. This method involves politicians bribing voters directly with cash or material goods in exchange for their votes. In many communities, where poverty is rife, such bribes can be enticing, making it difficult for voters to resist.
The idea of selling one’s vote for immediate gain undermines the long-term consequences of poor governance that ensue when unqualified or corrupt leaders assume office. Furthermore, vote buying distorts the electoral process by ensuring that political leadership is determined by wealth, rather than merit or the will of the people.
Underage voting is another electoral crime that is common in some parts of the country despite clear constitutional provisions that fix the voting age at 18. Political parties and desperate politicians exploit the weaknesses of the voter registration process by inflating voter rolls with minors and mobilizing them on election day to gain an undue advantage, thereby distorting the democratic process.
Just prior to the 2023 general elections, the criminalization of Nigeria’s electoral process escalated alarmingly with what appeared to be a systematic hoarding and destruction of voter cards.
Numerous voters reported challenges in registering to vote. Those who successfully registered voiced their frustrations regarding INEC’s failure to provide them with their voter cards.
It became evident that this was a calculated effort to disenfranchise voters when large quantities of voter cards were found discarded in drains and along roadways.
The majority of these intentional disenfranchisements were noted in politically unstable areas or opposition strongholds, where political figures were apprehensive about losing votes. INEC, often finds itself at the center of these controversies, as some of its officials have been implicated in electoral fraud.
Despite huge resources allocated to INEC, the commission has been plagued by a lack of transparency and procedural inconsistency. Many electoral observers noted the commission’s failure to comply with its own rules and operational standards during the last general elections.
Many electoral officers, who are supposed to safeguard the integrity of the voting process, are often compromised. Bribery of these officials is common, leading to falsification of results, tampering with voting materials, and deliberate mismanagement of polling stations. This not only allows corrupt politicians to subvert the will of the people but also weakens the institutions responsible for conducting free and fair elections.
It is shocking to see security agencies, who have the responsibility of protecting the electoral process, used as tools of political suppression during elections. Security agencies, when not directly involved in rigging election results, turn a blind eye to electoral crimes and malpractices.
Over the years, we have seen the misuse of security agencies to intimidate voters, harass political opponents, and facilitate electoral fraud, which has led to deep mistrust of the whole electoral system by the citizens. The role of security agencies must be redefined to ensure that they act as neutral enforcers of the law rather than tools of political suppression. Proper training, oversight, and accountability measures are necessary to ensure that security personnel contribute to, rather than undermine, the integrity of elections.
The criminalization of Nigeria’s elections poses a clear and present danger to the nation’s democratic stability. When elections are consistently marred by violence, fraud, and direct manipulation, the resulting governments lack legitimacy, both domestically and internationally. Such governments struggle to attract both local and international investors who have little or no trust in the system.
One wonders why, despite the widespread crime that mars every election process in Nigeria, there is little electoral reform to change the ugly situation. The reason for this reluctance to remove criminality from the electoral process is simple: many Nigerian politicians benefit from electoral fraud and are often reluctant to push for electoral reforms, because such changes threaten the very systems that sustain their political power.
Electoral malpractice—such as vote buying, ballot box snatching, voter intimidation, and manipulation of results—serves as a shortcut to victory in a political environment where genuine popularity or performance may not guarantee success. For many of these politicians, reforming the electoral process to ensure transparency and accountability would mean dismantling the mechanisms that enable them to maintain influence, wealth, and control over state resources.
Moreover, weak institutions and the culture of impunity in Nigeria make it possible for those in power to manipulate electoral processes without facing meaningful consequences. As a result, many politicians view the status quo as advantageous and resist any changes that could empower independent electoral bodies, strengthen voter protections, or introduce technologies that minimize fraud. Pushing for reform would also expose politicians to the risk of losing future elections in a fair contest, something many are unwilling to accept given the high stakes of political office in Nigeria, where public positions often come with access to immense financial and social privileges.
A government that rises to power through illegal means often perpetuates corruption and poor governance, as it owes its allegiance to those who helped rig the election, not to the electorate. Many analysts have pointed to the current wave of defections by politicians, especially by some governors to the ruling party, as a survival tactic to access the powers of the ruling party at the center, before, during, and after elections.
Some observers suggest that certain opposition governors are concerned that the ruling party, which oversees various security agencies and appoints electoral officials, might exploit these federal institutions to oust them from their positions. It is widely believed that such political defections would not occur if we possessed a credible electoral system that truly represents the will of the people rather than the interests of those in power.
The culture of electoral malfeasance discourages qualified candidates from running for office. Honest politicians, unwilling to engage in criminal activity to secure a win, often shy away from the political arena, leaving the field open to those willing to resort to underhanded tactics.
According to various experts, the criminalization of Nigeria’s electoral system has transformed the nation into a kakistocracy, resulting in many honest and capable Nigerians being discouraged from engaging in governance. This has led to a scenario where the least qualified or competent individuals are left in charge of the country’s administration.
To combat the criminalization of Nigeria’s electoral process, a multifaceted approach is necessary. Strengthening the legal framework for prosecuting electoral offenses is a critical first step. Those caught engaging in electoral fraud, whether politicians, thugs, or electoral officers, must face swift and severe punishment.
Electoral reforms should also include technological improvements, such as electronic voting and transmission, which could reduce opportunities for ballot box snatching and vote tampering. Moreover, voter education and poverty alleviation programs are crucial in combating vote buying. When citizens are better informed about their rights and are less financially vulnerable, they are more likely to resist the temptation of selling their votes.
The criminalization of elections in Nigeria is a grave issue that threatens the nation’s democratic future. Unless meaningful reforms are implemented, the cycle of violence, corruption, and electoral fraud will continue, eroding public confidence in the democratic process.
In the end, the real victims of electoral crimes and violence are not just the injured or the dead, but the millions whose voices are silenced by fear, violence, corruption, and impunity. Each stolen ballot, and each act of intimidation, robs the nation of its future — and leaves behind the haunting question: when will Nigeria truly be free to choose her leaders without blood, fear, or deceit?
For Nigeria to thrive as a true democracy, it must reclaim its electoral system from the grip of criminal politicians and non-democratic elements and restore the sanctity of the people’s vote.
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