Let’s be honest—Nigerians have always known that politics in this country is expensive. But even knowing that, the figures recently released by the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) still managed to shock many of us.
According to the report titled “How Money is Undermining Nigeria’s Democracy”, running for a seat in the House of Representatives can cost as much as ₦500 million. And if you end up in court to defend your win? That could cost another ₦1 billion. Let that sink in.
Governorship candidates in states like Edo and Ondo reportedly spent between ₦2.3 billion and ₦3.8 billion in just one election cycle. All this for public office—meant to serve the people, not drain them. It’s painful. And worse, it’s becoming normalised.
The Price of Democracy—or the Death of It?
This kind of spending doesn’t just make headlines—it’s killing Nigeria’s democracy from within. It turns elections into elite games reserved for the highest bidders, locking out genuine patriots who simply can’t match the price tag.
Think about it: if someone spends ₦500 million to become a lawmaker, what do you think they’ll do once they win? Sit down and write bills? Of course not. They’ll focus on recouping their “investment”—through padded budgets, inflated contracts, kickbacks, and deals that benefit them and their sponsors.
That’s why constituency projects worth over ₦45 billion were found uncompleted by the ICPC not long ago. That’s why many legislators fight for “juicy” committee assignments—not to serve the people, but to gain access to state funds.
The System Is Rigged—And It’s Illegal Too
It’s bad enough that these figures are outrageous. But it’s even worse when you realise they’re also illegal. Under Nigeria’s Electoral Act 2022, a candidate isn’t supposed to spend more than ₦70 million for a House of Reps seat, or ₦100 million for the Senate.
So, where is INEC? Where is the enforcement? When politicians blatantly ignore the rules and nothing happens, it sends a message: the law is for the poor, not the powerful.
Meanwhile, ordinary citizens—the market woman who dreams of representing her people, the activist who wants to clean up their community—can’t even afford a party nomination form, let alone compete in an auction disguised as a primary election.
When Politics Becomes Business, the People Lose
This hijacking of democracy by the rich turns politics into a brutal business. Desperate aspirants borrow money from shady sources or turn to political godfathers, who then own their mandate. Others rely on thugs, cult groups, or vote-buying just to make it through.
The result? Violence, rigging, and a deep distrust of elections. Instead of serving, politicians become predators, and public office becomes a gateway to looting.
We Must Fix This Broken System
If Nigeria wants to survive as a democracy, we need urgent reforms—now. The law must not just exist on paper. INEC, EFCC, ICPC, and the Code of Conduct Bureau must work together to monitor campaign financing, expose illegal spending, and punish offenders.
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Nomination forms should be affordable.
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Campaign donations must be tracked.
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Political parties must be held accountable.
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Voters must be educated to reject moneybags and embrace candidates with ideas, integrity, and a track record of service.
We must also stop the abuse of state resources during campaigns. Ministers, governors, and DGs using government money and power to support their party candidates must be checked. Elections must be contests of values, not vehicles for power grabs.
A Crossroads for Nigeria
We are at a defining moment. The political class must decide: continue down this path of corruption and collapse, or embrace real democracy—a system where every Nigerian, rich or poor, has a fair shot at leadership.
If smaller countries can build credible democracies, why not us? If other nations can hold elections without billion-naira budgets, why must ours be different?
We owe it to ourselves, our children, and our future to break this cycle. No country can prosper when elections are bought, when public funds are looted, and when service is replaced with selfishness.
The question is no longer whether Nigeria’s democracy is expensive—it is. But can we afford the cost of doing nothing?
Because if we don’t act now, it may not just be democracy we lose—it could be the nation itself.
