The Effect of Currency Redesign on Vote Buying in Yewa South Local Government of Ogun State

Abstract

Elections in Nigeria, a democratic country, are seen as contests for control over the state’s resources, which are considered the most valuable assets in any society. Given the significant consequences, politicians will employ any means, whether legitimate or immoral, to secure public offices. The descriptive survey research design was employed in this study. The population of the study consists of eligible voters who have completed the necessary registration process with the Yewa South Local Government. The research population was used to obtain a sample of 389 respondents using the Taro Yamane formula. The findings suggest that the new currency design in Yewa South Local Government has an impact on the act of buying votes. The study findings indicate that the act of vote buying remains a substantial threat to the integrity and trustworthiness of Nigeria’s democratic system. Despite the government’s attempts to mitigate the act by implementing new electoral forms in the weeks leading up to elections, occurrences of voter manipulation and vote buying persisted, prompting politicians to seek alternate tactics in order to ensure electoral success. The study proposed several recommendations, including enhancing voter education, improving electoral institutions to combat vote buying, and intensifying election security operations to catch and report vote sellers and buyers to the appropriate authorities for legal proceedings.