Title:
MATERIALISM AND COMMODIFICATION OF PARTY DELEGACY IN NIGERIA'S 2014 PRIMARY ELECTIONS: A PRIMA FACIE

Authors:
Okoli, Al Chukwuma & Ugwu, Anthony C.

Abstract:
The materialization of party politics in Nigeria has given rise to the phenomenon of 'money politics' (vote buying/selling) in the process of electioneering. In the 2015 primary elections in the country, the slot of party delegate-ship was in some cases ostensibly bidden, bought or sold. This cash-and-carry syndrome led to a scenario whereby party delegates traded their votes for money and/or other valuables in a manner that depicted commodification of delegacy. This paper seeks to make a prima facie investigation into this trend. Using a combination of primary and secondary research, anchored on the theory of prebendalism, the paper posits that commercialization of party delegate-ship in respect of the 2015 primary elections in Nigeria was a manifestation of materialization of party politics in that context. The paper observes that this electoral tendency detracts from the quintessential value of democratic election and is inimical to democratic consolidation in Nigeria. The paper makes a case for de-materialisation and decommercialisation of the electoral process as a panacea to the problem.