Afe Babalola bemoans monetization of political process, predicts winner of 2023 polls

Renowned legal expert, Afe Babalola has bemoaned the monetization of the political process ahead of the general elections.

Babalola made this assertion on Thursday at a media briefing in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.

According to him, the upcoming presidential election slated for February 25 will be won by the highest spender, not the best candidates among the contenders.

He said, “It is not who can make a difference that will win this election, I repeat, it is not the person who has all it takes – age, health, education, and patriotism, that will win the election; the winner of this election I can bet it, is going to be the person who has made money in this country.

“It is the person who has the money that will win. A man who wants to rule the whole country or any part of the country, ought to be screened. Has he ever worked before, what type of work did he do, did he steal there, was he a good manager, does he pay his taxes regularly, what contributions has he made to society?

“You cannot just come from nowhere and become president, become governor, become member of house; these are transactional business men.”

Read also:Afe Babalola demands interim govt, suspension of 2023 elections

He further expressed skepticism about the current 1999 Constitution, noting that any election conducted therein will further plunge Nigerians into poverty.

“I still stand by my suggestion that any election conducted under the present 1999 Constitution cannot and will not produce new leaders with new ideas, rather any election conducted with the 1999 Constitution will merely result in recycling people who have brought Nigeria to grinding poverty, unemployment, under-funded education, and insecurity,” Babalola stated.

The 2022 primary elections in Nigeria brought to the fore the reality of vote buying and the role of money in the electoral process.

Delegates to the primary elections of the two major parties were reportedly paid thousands of dollars to induce them to vote for certain candidates.

In addition, the manipulation of ballots has gradually given way to material (often financial) inducement.

One factor behind this shift is the increased effectiveness of the Independent National Electoral Commission. The use of digital technology has made it more difficult to manipulate election results therefore, the onus is on the electorates to reject any form of inducement in order to entrench a sane and fair political process.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now