Jonathan Heads To Election On Bribery Hope

By SKC Ogbonnia.  premiumtinesng

Bribery has been a recurring decimal in Nigerian elections. But the case of the 2015 electoral season is well ripe for the Guinness Book of Records.

The problem took a new dimension when President Goodluck Jonathan shocked the world by plainly rejecting a plan by Independent National Election Commission (INEC) to monitor campaign funds in the 2015 general elections. In Jonathan’s words, regulation can only be realistic, “if you’re getting funds from government, then you must set restrictions; but if you’re generating your own funds, then you’ve no restrictions.” The president followed by raising over N21 billion at one sitting, most of which interestingly came from state governors, federal government agencies and contractors. This brazen impunity was not only in utter violation of the electoral law which pegs the presidential campaign expenditure at no more than N1 billion, but the event took place when many states could not even pay their staff salaries. This is not good.

Plagued by a woeful performance in office, and with most major local and international polls predicting a dizzying defeat, it appears President Jonathan plans to cling onto power by hook or crook. Rather than continuing to hold mass rallies around the country to make a serious case for why Nigerians should trust him again, events after events have shown that Jonathan’s main hope of winning the election is premised upon diverting his huge war chest to bribe voters. Continue HERE