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ECONOMIC HARDSHIP: Awakening To The Ignorance of Social Class Interest In Electoral Participation


Living in poverty has a lasting effect on people's choices. Their downside is that they tend to make decisions based on coping with present stresses, often at the expense of longer-term goals.

This, they do even though knowing that in hard times, it is they, the poor who suffer the most devalued condition. This includes hunger, pain, sickness, sadness, unfair treatment, a low lifestyle, etc.

The point I am trying to make is that a continuing blindness to social class interests in political participation can have damaging consequences. Even with the growing concern over social inequality, the middle and lower classes don't understand that socio-economic existence depends on the quality of governance, and the quality of governance depends on political choices. Therefore, the middle and lower classes should be more concerned about the quality of elected representatives.

According to Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission, there are about 84 million registered voters in the country today. Seventy percent of them are poor. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, over 140 million Nigerians live below the poverty line. That's roughly seventy percent of the country's population. World Bank estimates show poverty in Nigeria is projected to rise.

The poor have the highest voting strength, yet they never get to choose those who govern them. Not just because elections are manipulated, but also because political choice, which is an essential condition for economic development is dysfunctional. It is particularly relevant to note that most electoral officials are also poor Nigerians.

What does this mean? The poor have the highest voting strength and the 'power' to determine who rules their local government councils, state, and country. But they never really control the votes.

Their votes 'count' but never really count. And as a result, the poor wind up being at the receiving end all the time.

But why are the poor powerless despite holding the strongest power in a democracy?

Not that they don't vote. They vote. But they are manipulated to vote against their genuine wishes. The results of their votes are also manipulated by electoral officers who are integral parts of the poor class. In other words, the poor work against what will bring the most benefit to the majority of them. Politicians and political strategists exploit voters and electoral officers by appealing to their poverty.

So, they have a charter before and during elections. An unbalanced-benefit charter. Take handouts in the form of bribes, and food items, such as salts, soap, maggi, clothes, rice, used clothes, etc. And they get their votes. Okay, says the poor. Done deal!

And the politician goes his way. While in office, politicians try to help the poor. But this is not genuine. The relief he provides is a means to his end.

He does so believing it will guarantee him the votes of the poor in future elections.

Privately, he says to himself, my money is what brought me to power - not the votes of the people.

Throughout his tenure, he becomes loyal and works for the money that 'brought' him into office instead of for the people. And the story continues!

There is no denying the fact that greed and poverty will continue to be obstacles in the path toward a successful democracy. Primarily, people often refrain from casting their votes for the best candidate because earning money takes precedence over voting according to their conscience. Similarly, the conduct of electoral officials during elections is frequently influenced by greed and poverty.


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