THE National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has reported that vote buying increased by 5% in the 2023 general elections.
The NBS report, titled ‘Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and Trends – Third Survey on Corruption as Experienced by the Population’ released on July 11, showed that the elections experienced a 22 percent incidence of vote-buying, which is five percent higher than the 2019 general elections, where it was 17 percent.
Furthermore, in 2023, 10 percent reported that while they were not personally offered money or favors for their vote, another member of their household was approached, in contrast to 5 percent in 2019.
The agency revealed that 22 percent of Nigerian citizens stated they were personally offered money in exchange for their vote prior to or during the 2023 general election, while 9 percent received offers of other favors.
Vote-buying is defined as the act of offering money, goods, or other incentives in exchange for a voter’s vote in an election.
According to the NBS, this reflects an increase in both types of vote-buying compared to 2019, when 17 percent reported personal money offers, and 4 percent reported being offered other favors.
However, the NBS noted that some voters remained unaffected by their voting choices even after receiving money or favors.
Just over half (55 percent) of the citizens who were personally offered money or favors for their vote in the 2023 general election claimed that the offer did not impact their decision.
In contrast, 40 percent of those individuals indicated they voted for the candidate or party that provided the money or favor specifically because of that offer.
Between 2019 and 2023, the percentage of Nigerians who received bribes for their votes increased similarly across genders, urban and rural areas, and various age groups, the agency reported.
In a zonal analysis of vote-buying, the NBS found minimal to no changes in the South-West, South-South, and North-Central regions between 2019 and 2023.
However, the North-West saw an increase from 23 percent in 2019 to 44 percent in 2023, with that zone reporting a relatively high percentage—55 percent—of citizens who were offered money or other favors in exchange for their votes.
