UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA DEPARTMENT OF MICROBIOLOGY

I -- p4 TOPIC: fl

DISTORTED VALUE SYSTEM AND ELECTION MALPRACTICE f! p 1.41?

A TERM PAPER PREPARED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF - - I

THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE COURSE G.S.P 104 (SOCIAL SCIENCES 11)

NU'ABEZE CHINONSO. M 20071149061

LECTURER: MRS UGWU

MAY 2008

TITLE PAGE

DISTORTED VALUE SYSTEM AND ELECTION MALPRACTICE

DEDICATION

This work is dedicated to God Almighty

PREFACE

This tern paper centers on the value system and the electoral

malpractice in the society. The value system in the Nigerian society has

drastically detoriated this leading to the incessant increase in electoral

practices in the country.

This work comprises of four chapters , the first chapter introduces

value system in modern Nigeria society. This chapter also include the

definition of the latter, hence its types.

The second chapter exposes the reasons for a distorted value system in

Nigeria, this its implications and solutions to this distorted value system.

The next chapter introduces the electoral malpractices in Nigeria, it

also tells of the causes of such electoral malpractices in the country.

The last chapter explains the a.gents that support such electoral

malpractices in Nigeria, consequences and solutions. Finally it shows the

rela+ionship between the value system and the electoral malpractices

explaining how the value system encourages electoral malpractice in

Nigeria.

My immense gratitude goes to my parents Mr. and Mrs. S. C

Nwabeze for their financial st~pport and encouragement. My gratitude goes

to my siblings also for being there for when I was down.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGES

Acknowledgement -- -- -- Table of contents -- -- -- -- CHAPTER ONE

1 .O INTRODUCTION -- -- --

1 . 1 Definition of Value System -- --

1.2 Types of Value System -- -- CHAPTER TWO

2.0 Reasonc for Distorted Value System in Nigeria -- 2.1 Implication of Distorted Value System in Nigeria

2.2 The Way out / Solutions -- -- -- -- CHAPTER THREE

3.0 Meaning of Electoral Malpractices -- -- -- 3.1 Causes of Electoral Malpractices in Nigeria --

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTlON

A value system as an organisation of ethical or ideological values of

an indi~idual or groups oT individual has a great role i t plays in every

society. Without a value system, people are justified to act in any manner

the wish. There is no right or wrong. Every person does what is easiest,

not what is right. It eliminates that sense of selfishness in people because

it helps to commune the society. Until one have a value system, one

would not really l~ave a nation. Everyone will try to create their o w

world, their own local government, states and even federations.

Value system naturally guide us as a people. They give us common

thoughts, words, actions and a sense of identity as a nation. However,

\aluss are the fabric of any society and they influence the beliefs and

moral of the people. The values of any nation determine what is

i~nportart to the people.

Great values are required to build a great nation. These values must be

clear, specific and easy to understand.

1.1 DEFINITION OF VALUE SYSTEM

According to McShane an Gloriow (2003), "value are stable, long

I asting beliefs about what is important in a variety of situations.. They are

waluated standards !hat help us define what is right and wrong, or good

or bad irl the world"

The Oxford English Dictionary Vol XIX defines value as "the relative

status of a t h g or the estimation in which it is held, accordmg to its real

or supposed worth, usefulness, or iinpo~tance"

On the other hand, system, according to Eneh, J.0 (2001) "is the

r~eneral trend or course of thought of a particulx person or 'group of C )

thinkers interested in researching into the human values". As there are

different attitude of thmkers, there are different systems but these

thinkers have the same objectives in tqing to investigate hou humzi

ljeing can f~nnulate wortby values.

Therefore, value system can simply be referred to how an individuals

orgnise their ethical or ideological values.

Un the other hand, "distorted value system" is one in wluch the ethical

clr ideologxal values of the people are completely dsorganized.

1.2 TYPES OF VALUE SYSTEM

Montgomery (1998) identified the following types of value system

used in decision making in the public sector:

h

v Profes~ional Valve System: Tl~ese encourage public oficial lo

strengthen organizational capabilities to apply ethics, efficiency

and effectiveness in serving the public.

r Individual Value System: According to Montgonery, These value

system are aimed to "urge pubic officials to demonstrate the

highest standards in all activities, to inspire public conficience and

tn~st in public senice". Examples of individual cra!ues inc!ude

honesty, consistency, coherence and reciprocity.

r Legal value System: Whlclz encompasses the constitution, the

federal, state and local laws; the rules and regulations illat

articulate the laws, judicial rulings interpreting law; and the et!~ics

that celebrates the state and holds due process as a basic human, as

well as political value.

r Public lnterest Value System: These requires public official to

sense the public, and not oneself

CHAPTER TWO

2.0 REASONS FOR DISTORTED VALUE SYSTEM IN NIGERIA

(I) Go\ ernment neglect: Unfortunately in this coumtry, government does

not have a good economic plan for creating jobs or welfazt. package

for indigent families and youths. If you compare the rate of mned

robbery in our society to what obtains in the civilized world, you will

discover that juvenile robbery necessitated by poverty, is almost non-

existence in the west. This is because their systems cater for the poor

and needy.

(2)Poverty and Hardship: The crippling economic situation / distorted

value system in the country has given crime a plat form to thrive

especially amongst youths. Most parents in Nigeria are so poor that

they cannot ineet their financial obligations to their children a d

wards. There are people who cannot afkrd on decent meal a day, let

alone shelter, clothes, health-care or even education for their children.

When met with untold hardship, many youths resort to crime out of

despair, h s t r a t ~ o n and inward craving to improve their basic living

standard.

(3) Inequitable Distribution of National Resources: The problems with

Nigeria is not limited or unavailability of natural resources but

insincerity, deprivation and not been considerate in the distribution of

national resources. The nat~rral resources in Nigeria is enough to drive

the level of poverty in Nigeria "dcwn the tools". As in the Niger Delta

of Nigeria where almost all the crude oil in Nigeria is gotten. The will

not gve to the regon what will be enough for the development of the

region from the revenue generated from the sale of this crude oil. This

inequitable distribution of natural resources has made Niger Delta - a

militant infested area.

2.1 IMPLICATIONS OF DISTORTED VALUE SYSTEM IN

NIGERIA

The implications of distorted value system for Nigeria economn~~ is

innumerable. Bid only a few will be discussed. Such as:-

A. Strike: The recent like in the Va!ue Added Tax (VAT) rate and fuel

prices resulted to total, collapse of the economy. For over 4 years, the

entire Nigerian economy witnessed a terrific shump. Such a trend is

not good for a growing economy like ours.

B. Unemployment: One of the attendant implications of distorted value

system for the economy is the high rate of unemployment. A situation

whereby the ratio of ~ulemployil~eilt is lugher than that of the

employed, crime infested society shall be what we will be seeing.

There is such a high population of jobless graduates and school

leavers who roam fiom office to office daily in search for jobs. These

youths after failed attempts to earn legtimate living, become

frustrated and ashamed, particularly w h e ~ they see their peers l i v h ~ a

big. When their own ponr conditions becomes unbearable, they resort

to armed robbe?: as a mems of sunival.

C. Total Collapse of Real Sector: Before now, there has been a sharp

drop in capacity utilization in one real sector or the other fiom about

40 percent in 2005 to more than 80 percent in 2006 of the

tnan~lfacturing it7dustries in business, and fi~rtl~er increase in V.4T rate

nd? hrther disrupt the manufacturing sect and lead to astronomical

increase in the price of produced goods. The sector which is already

grappling with the problems of poor and road network, epileptic and

non filnctional power supply. The ii~crease will not only lead to higher

cost of production but also increase in the volume of unsold goods

with its attendant result in reduced capacity utilization. Consequently,

it will increase the rate of imemploylnent and exacerbate tlie poverty

level in the country.

2.2 THE M7AY OUT SOLUTION TO DISTORTED VALUE SYSTEM

IN NIGERIA

National rebirth and reorientation in urgently needed to restore the

di~nity and sanctity of our value system. For this restoration to take place,

h e fidlow ing measures ITILLS! be taken: (i) Parents must embrace their

responsibility to train and nurture youths to become responsible and usefill

citizens. (ii) Government should go beyond rhetoric in poverty alleviation

and economic revamping. (iii) School authorities should emphasize

discipline auld probity. (iv) The police should double its efforts at trim

prelrention and protection of lives of innocent citizens. (v) Finally, youths

s11011ld repent and turn to their creator rather than destroying their destinies

because of material lust.

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 MEAllING OF ELECTORAL MALPRACTICE

Election is vital aspect representative government. According io Nnoli

(1 9'10). "It is so closely tied lo the growth and development uf delnosratic

political order that is now generally held to be the singe most important

indicator of the presence or absence of democratic government" . Election,

therefore, is a symbol of democracy.

[n Nigeria many elections have been conducted since the first election in

1923 to the last in 2007.

Regrettably, the history of elections in Nigeria has shown that Nigerians

cannot rely on them as veritable means of installing the kind of leaders they

wallt and by implications in changing the material conchtions of their

existence. This is because, elections i ~ ? Nigeria have been marred by the ugly

incidents cf el~ctora! mdpractice

According to Nnoli (1990) "An election may be defined as manner of

choice agreed upon by a group of people which enables them to select one or

few people out of inany to occupy one or il~uinber of positions of ai~thority"

Tn his own contributions, Bain (1964) defines election as "the formal

process by which the electorate selects officials and detertnines the issue

submitted to it". Therefore, elections represent a way of ~nalimg a d~o ice

thaf is fair and acceptable to ail.

9 n the other hmd. malpractice can be defined as an act carried out

carelessly, wrongly or illegally while in professional job.

Electoral malpractice therefore, refers to illegalities committed by

gotem~nent officials responsible for the conduct of elections, pohtica!

parties? groups or individuals witla sinister intention to influence an election

in fwour of a candidates.

3.1 CAUSES OF ELECTORAL MALPRACTICES

Electoral malpractices as one of the most serious problems

con6onting democracy in Nigeria have many causes. Three major causes

shall be discussed:

4+ Improper Conduct or Arrangement by Independent National

Electoral Commission (INEC): 'I'hese include such electoral

malpractice by N E C officials as unlawfid possession of ballot papers

and boxes, imlawfuI possession of a~rthorities and unaut!lorized

voters' cards, stealing ballot box keys, forgery of res~dts, falsification

of result sheets, tampering with ballot boxes etc. The officials by

LtEC officials were very rampart nationwide during the 2003 general

elections.

+3 Infringement of electoral Law: These include cases of voting

unregstered persons, under-aged or juvenile voting, regstration

offences, impersonation in polling stations, offences in respect of

ballot papers, misconduct in poiling stations, among others. These

offences were widely reported by both the international and !ocal

observers. For instance, the European Union Election Observation

Mission (EUEOM) in its second report o both the President and

Gubci-natorial election 2003, noted that government owned media

fai!ec! to provide imbibed fair and informative coverag of candidates

conttsting the elections of candidates contesting the elections while

the civil society organizations under the auspices of the Electoral

Reform Network (ERN) reported cases of disenfranchisement of

voters during National Assembly, Presidental and Gubernatorial

election in 2001.

*:* Improper and Unethical Infringements: These include unlawful

possession of election materials, assaulting election officials,

campaigning in election day, bribery, arrest of opposition member,

inultiple voting etc. The Justice Development and Peace Commission

(JDPC) of the catholic secretariat reported that stealing and stuffing of

ballot boxes were observed in many state. In some areas like Aboh

Mbaise of Imo State, a vehicle with shifted ballot boxes was

apprehended and destroyed on the election day.

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0 AGE;UTS THAT SUPPORT 1 ENGAGE IN ELECTORAL

MALPRACTICE IN NIGERIA

There are marly a~ents Illat support or engage in electrml malpractices

in Nigeria. The first is government in Power . h its ?id to retain power

the incumbent government employed every means available to it. A good

example is the use of member of the armed forces to intimidate the

e1ectora:e and party agents. As Odeh, (2003b) rightly stated.

... no Nigeria Head of States, not even Sani Abacha, damaged tile image

of both the army and the police as President Ob~lsanio damaged both in

his bid to impose himself on Nigerian for second phase of his tenure.

Secondly N E C and its officials, JNEC and its officials aided and

abetted both the forgery of results and the falsification cf result sheets,

among others.

Third, Political Parties 2nd their Metnbers. The mriom political

parties particularly the People Democratic Party (PDP) and All Nigeria

People's Party (ANPP), were actively involved both in the hoarding of

voters' cards Guru~g the 2002 voters registration exercise as weli as in the

Forgery of result sheets, snatching of ballot boxes et cetra during the 2003

peneral elections.

The last are socio political institutions such as the judiciary, the

police, and the intelligence agencies which are controlled and

manipulated by governments and sometimes by political pzrties and their

candidates. During the 2003 general elections for instance, the police and

;inned forces were used especially by the ruling party (PUP) to intimidate

political opponents under the guise or pretence of ensuring peacefbl and

I iee and fair elections.

Others agents involved in electoral malpractices include unpatriotic

Nigerian citizens and voters, fanatical party and supporters who were

hibed to conunit all kinds of electoral fi-aud.

4lCOYSEQlENCES OF ELECTORAL MALPR4CTICES IN

NBGERlA

Electoral malpractices have disastrous consequences on democratic

experiment in Nigeria. hirst, large scale electoral malpractices as was the

case diuing the 2003 and 2007 general elections have adverse effect on

democracy because they negate the essential purpose of elections as

popular basis for government.

Therefore, without popular mandate, the legitimacy or moral autl~ority

of any government is tainted and peatly eroded.

Secondly, electors! ma!practices undermines the principles that the

welfare of the people is the object of government. It is through election

that the people are able to remove bad government and install the one

that will promote the welfare of the people. In l i s statement duising the

2001 e1:ctions in Nigeria, the Presidential candidate of the All

Pro,~essive Grand Alliance (APGA), Chief Emeka Odumegu~z QjuLmu

said:

All dictators try to drag you into fighting on an uneven platform. Here he is a situation where the person who decides when the election is €ree and fair has the control of INEC. He has the control of the police and the army. He, then is the only one permitted to ;moumce the result. And then he beats his chest that he had lvon the election (The Xew, A4ay 5,2003).

This implies that politics losses its essence without a free and fair

competition for power

Again, electoral malpractices as witnessed during the 2003and 2007

general election have negative consequences on the psyche of most Nigeria

youths who have now come to believe that ''might is right". There is now a

general belief among most Nigerian youths that what matters most in

elections is ability to outing ones political opponents.

Finally, when elections become unavailable as a means of changing a

government and when the capacity of the contestants to rig is vastly unequal,

violence, with a possible breakdown of law and order might result.

4.2 SOLUTIONS TO ELECTORAL MALPRACTICES

One question that-keeps recurring regarding elections in Nigeria is

"how can electoral malpractices be eliminated or reduced"?. Electoral

d

malpractices in Nigeria cannot be eliminated or reduced without

understanding it roots.

However, in the short run, the following measures should be

implemented in order to at least reduce the incidents.

Firstly, eradication of poverty should be gven top priority by

Nigerian government. This is because, it is very easy to have a poor and

hungry voter with financial or monetary rewards.

Secondly, government should embark on intensive public

enlightenment campaign, before and during election periods aimed at both

exposing the evils effects of electoral malpractices m d discouraging people

from engaging in it.

Furthermore, the constitution needs to be amended and Electoral Act

reviewed to make INEC truly independent and not mere appointees of the

Presidents.

Final,ly, the use of govenunent facilities and funds to prosecute the

election campaign of incumbent officer holder should be stopped in fi~ture

elections.

4.3 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

It can be seen that dstorted value system may even lead to electoral

malpractices. Also, for a nation to have a disorganized value system, it

means that every election conciircted in that cocmtry is at stake because there

must be electoral fiaud. Therefore, government and individua!~ sl~oulc! ~ v ~ r k

cooperatively and use the solutions to the distorted value system and

electoral malpractices in Nigeria to transfom our country and make it a

great nation.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Adamolekun, Ladipo (1986), Politics and Administration in Nigeria, Ibadan: Spectrum Books.

Aina, Tade Akin (1986), "What is political economy? The Nigerian Economy: A Political Economy Approach;- Essex: Longman Group Limited.

Bain, C. W. (1964), "Election". Dictionary of Political Science, ed. By Joseph Dunner. New York: Philosophical Library

Eneh, J. 0 (2001), "War and Peace: Aspect of Practical Ethic. Calabar: Afranedoh Publishers:

European Union Election Observation Mission (EUEOM) to Nigeria (2003), "Nigeria President and Gubernatorial ~lection (2003). Second Preliminary Statement. www.eneornnigeria.org.

Ezeani, Ernrnaneul(2004), Electoral Malpractices in Nigeria:-The case of 2003 General Elections. Enugu: Great ap express publishers.

E

Lenin, V. I (1984), -The State and Revolution.- Moscow: Progress Publishers.

Nnoli, Okwudiba (1990) "The 1987 Local Government Elections in the Eastern Zone of Nigeria: Plateau, Benue, Anambra, Imo, Rivers, Cross Rivers and Akwa-Ibom States" in Jinachi, L. Adele and T. Edoh (eds). The 1987 - 1988 Local Government Elections in Nigeria, Vol. 1 case studies, Lagos: National Electoral Commission.

Odeh, J. 0 (2003a) The Madness Called Election 2003. Enugu: Snaap Press Limited. (2003b) After The Madness Called Election 2003. Enugu: Snaap press Limited.