INVESTIGATING INEC AND CHALLENGES OF MONITORING POLITICAL PARTY CAMPAIGN FINANCING IN NIGERIA (A CASE STUDY OF 2015 GENERAL ELECTION)

INVESTIGATING INEC AND CHALLENGES OF MONITORING POLITICAL PARTY CAMPAIGN FINANCING IN NIGERIA (A CASE STUDY OF 2015 GENERAL ELECTION)

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Political parties are critical to the political process in modern cultures. In each democratic regime, they have evolved into a true tool or auxiliary of democracy. The establishment of democratic government in Nigeria's political system in 1999 was a watershed moment in the country's political history. Civil society, labor unions, civil rights organizations, and others greeted the restoration of democracy with optimism and peagentry after fifteen years of tyranny. Human rights, which had been entirely absent under the dictatorship's tenure, were given new life. As observed by Sule & Azizuddin et’al (2015), the democratic dividend was intended to be achieved through political parties, which are the vehicles through which politicians communicate with the public and make their promises and manifestos available to them.

Political parties are not only vehicles for the aggregation of interests and ultimate satisfying of such interests through government control, but they are also vehicles for acquiring political power. Political parties are obviously critical to the survival of democratic administration. According to Ukase (2017), the amount of responsibility in public life, including access to and use of power, is determined by the freedom with which political parties collect, express, represent, and organize.They are a key link between the state and civil society, between the institutions of government and the groups and interests that operate inside the society, as political machinery formed to compete for, win, and wield governmental power (Heywood, 2007 cited in Sule et’al 2017). However, if political parties are to be viewed as fulfilling their legislative tasks inside their various zones, money is essential.

In the lack of sufficient money, political parties' existential potency will be severely weakened. It would be impossible for politicians and political parties to express and exhibit their ideas and objectives to the audience without the requisite money. As a result, political parties require finances in order to promote their programs and manifestos to the general public.   Omilusi (2016) emphasized the importance of finance, stating that "funding dictates the number of campaign employees, the number of cars to reach voters across the country, the amount of radio and television advertising, and so on." As a result, cash can significantly assist party institutionalization. As a result, certain political parties frequently fall into the trap of obtaining financing from sources that are unlawful under current election regulations.

Unfortunately, party money, particularly campaign fundraising, is rife with corruption worldwide, but notably in most African nations. The topic of political party funding has been regarded as having a complicated character internationally, according to Pinto-Duschinsky (2002), referenced in Aluaigba (2015). It is complicated since existing procedures put in place by various nations are unable to appropriately supervise how political parties raise and spend funding. Even in established democracies, monitoring the funds of political parties remains an issue, as evidenced by examples. For example, in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, and other countries, watching political parties' financial activities has proven difficult (Aluaigba 2015). Despite this complication, no country's potential to build a system capable of reducing the harmful effect of money on its democratic process.

​​​​​​​STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The topic of party/campaign fundraising is plagued with problems and scandals in Africa as well. Ojekunle (2019) asserts that the Nigerian experience in tracking the sources of finances of political parties in Nigeria has been particularly troublesome since 1999. This is evident as the political parties that participated in the Nigerian electioneering process not only deviated from existing electoral laws regarding the generation and expenditure of party funds; the problem has asphyxiated internal party democracy, amplified wrangling within the parties, scandals, defections, violence, and so on . A research undertaken by the Centre for Democratic Research and Training in Kano to analyze how political parties in Nigeria were funded from 1999 to 2007 indicated that the majority of the parties were controlled by "money bags" or "godfathers." During the era, the financially buoyant parties outwitted their counterparts in the electoral fight, prompting the majority of them to indulge in illegal financial methods (Centre for Democratic Research and Training, 2015). To address the rising number of cases of corrupt financial practices by political parties in Nigeria since 1999, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has worked to strengthen the laws that govern how parties raise and spend funds in the pursuit of political power acquisition or retention.

Notably, the political climate in Nigeria was agog with election-related activity, mostly by political parties, politicians, and the INEC, in the run-up to the 2015 general elections. Given that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has been in power for sixteen years since 1999, faced a formidable opposition from a coalition of parties under the All Progressive Congress (APC), these two major parties and others embarked on an aggressive campaign to raise funds to prepare for the polls. The Electoral Act of 2010 required the INEC to perform its key function of monitoring where the funds for the 28 political parties it registered came from, how these funds were spent during political campaigns to ensure that the parties followed the law, audit their accounts, and make the audit reports public. However, following the 2015 elections, several issues arose that required solutions. In their frantic efforts to raise funding for the 2015 general elections, did political parties genuinely follow existing laws? Did the INEC sufficiently supervise how political parties used the money they raised during their campaigns to guarantee that erring parties were punished in accordance with the law? If so, what were the difficulties they experienced during the process? The researcher dived into this study to investigate INEC and the obstacles of monitoring political party campaign finance in Nigeria in order to give answers to these obvious concerns.

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The broad objective of the study is to examine  INEC and challenges of monitoring political party campaign financing in Nigeria. Other specific objectives includes:

1. To ascertain the sources of political party funds used for financing campaign in Nigeria.
2. To established whether political parties actually adhere to existing laws in their frenzied efforts to generate funds preparatory to the 2015 general elections.
3. To determine the extent at which INEC monitor political party campaign financing in Nigeria.
4. To explore the constrains encountered by INEC in the process of  monitoring political party campaign financing in Nigeria.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following questions are posed to guide the study in line with the research objectives:

1. What are the sources of political party funds used for financing campaign in Nigeria?
2. Does political parties adhere to existing laws in their frenzied efforts to generate funds preparatory to the 2015 general elections?
3. What is the extent at which INEC monitor political party campaign financing in Nigeria?
4. What are the constrains encountered by INEC in the process of  monitoring political party campaign financing in Nigeria?

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

The following testable statement depicts the expected relationship between variables  of the study.

HO1:  The extent at which INEC monitor political party campaign financing in Nigeria is low

HO2: The are no significant constraint encountered by INEC in the process of  monitoring political party campaign financing in Nigeria

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Findings of this study  will practically be of immense value to policy makers, political parties in Nigeria and the Independent Electoral Commission. To political parties in Nigeria, the research will enlighten them on the need to stick to stipulated guidelines for party and campaign financing and avoid illegal sources which depicts corruption hence questionable and discourages  confidence of the electorate in that party. To INEC the result of this study will raise their awareness on their job role of ensuring transparency and accountability of each political party source of funds and the need to probe all party illicit disposition without fear or favour of the ruling party. To policy makers, the findings of this study will enable them to design frameworks that will ameliorate the challenges limiting INEC effectiveness on monitoring political party campaign financing as well as granting them total autonomy in the job dispensation without undue interference as this is key to sustainable democracy. Finally the study will serve as a motivation for further inquiry in the area of political parties and governance in Nigeria.

1.7 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The scope scope of this study borders on INEC and challenges of monitoring political party campaign financing in Nigeria. The study will further discuss sources of political party funds used during elections, ascertain if they adhere to the electoral laws, explore the extent at which the Independent Electoral Commission monitor political party funding and discuss constraints encountered by the electoral body in their process of motoring  political party campaign financing in Nigeria.

 Although there are several general elections that have held since Nigeria return to democratic government in 1999. For the purpose of this study, the study will be however delimited to 2015 general elections precisely. while making reference form other years where need be.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

POLITICAL PARTY: This is an organization of people which seeks to achieve goals common to its members through the acquisition and exercise of political power.

INEC: The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is the body responsible for the conduct of general elections in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic (from 1999 to date).

POLITICAL CAMPAIGN: This is an organized effort which seeks to influence the decision making process within a specific group. In democracies, political campaigns often refer to electoral campaigns, wherein representatives are chosen or referendums are decided.

CAMPAIGN FINANCE: This refers to all funds raised in order to promote candidates, political parties, or policies in elections, referendums, initiatives, party activities, and party organizations. The funds could also detract from the opponents of the above.

ELECTION: An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office.

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