NIGERIAN POLITICIANS, DISCIPLINE, INTEGRITY, CHARACTER AND THE RULE OF LAW: APPLICATION VERSUS FINANCIAL SPENDING IN 2019 FEDERAL ELECTIONS

Résumé

This paper gives an ethical evaluation of the 2019 Federal Elections in Nigeria as it bothers on questions of discipline, integrity, and character of Nigerian Politicians with attendant consequences on the rule of law. The 2019 General election was characterized by severe malpractices, irregularities and gross abuse of the rule of law that governed democratic elections. From the critical review of relevant literatures and opinions of political analysts on the 2019 General elections, the paper identifies the following burning ethical issues: vote buying, underage voting, snatching of ballot boxes by political thugs, phenomenon of inconclusive elections and compromising nature of security operatives, inducement of electoral officers at the polling units’ levels, and pre and post-electoral violence. These acts were perpetrated by politicians and their proxies all in the bid to win elections, in order to have access to State power and resources. These acts so perpetrated by politicians raised ethical and legalistic questions. However, the major concern of the paper is on the unprincipled implications of these acts. Thus, the paper argues that for Nigeria to address these ethical issues arising from the 2019 Federal Elections and subsequent elections there is need for Nigeria to have a new approach to leadership recruitment and governance. The paper deduces that discipline, integrity, and character excellence should be the guiding values for Nigerian politicians and prospective politicians. The paper employs the method of critical analysis.