Election Malpractices SS2 Citizenship & Heritage Studies Lesson Note

Subject: Citizenship and Heritage Studies  

Class: SS2

Focus: Forms, Effects, and Solutions

What is Electoral Malpractice?

In a perfect world, an election should be like a fair race: the fastest person wins. Electoral Malpractice is when someone tries to “cheat” in that race.

It refers to all the illegal acts done by politicians, voters, or even election officials to influence the result of an election so that the person the people actually want doesn’t win. It is the “enemy” of democracy.

Forms of Electoral Malpractices (How they cheat)

Cheating in elections happens in many different ways, from the time of registration until the results are announced:

• Voter Identity Theft (Impersonation): This is when someone pretends to be another person (sometimes even a dead person) just to vote twice or vote for someone else.
• Ballot Box Snatching: This is a violent form where thugs are hired to run away with the boxes containing already thumbprinted papers so they can be destroyed or replaced.
• Underage Voting: When children who are not yet 18 are encouraged or forced to vote.
• Vote Buying: This is very common today. It’s when politicians give out money, food (like “Stomach Infrastructure”), or clothes at the polling unit to “buy” the conscience of the voters.
• Falsification of Results (Rigging): This happens at the collation centers. It’s when the numbers are changed—for example, changing “10” to “100” with a pen—to make a loser look like a winner.
• Intimidation and Violence: Using “area boys” or even rogue security men to scare people away from voting in areas where the politician knows they are not popular.

The Effects: Why Should You Care?

When an election is rigged, it isn’t just the losing politician who suffers; the whole country pays the price:

1. Bad Leadership: When a leader “steals” power, they don’t feel they owe the people anything. They won’t build schools or hospitals because you didn’t actually “hire” them; they hired themselves.
2. Political Instability: Rigged elections often lead to riots, protests, and even coups. People get angry when they feel their voice doesn’t matter.
3. Loss of Faith in Democracy: When students see that “the biggest cheater wins,” they stop believing in the system. They stop coming out to vote, which makes the cheating even easier next time.
4. International Shame: Other countries stop respecting Nigeria, and foreign businesses might be afraid to invest their money here, which leads to fewer jobs for you when you graduate.

Solutions: How Do We Fix the System?

Fixing electoral malpractice is a “Team Task.” It requires the government, the law, and the citizens to work together:

• Use of Technology: Devices like the BVAS (Bimodal Voter Accreditation System) and IReV (Result Viewing Portal) help to make sure only real people vote and that results are uploaded immediately before anyone can change them.
• Independent Judiciary: The courts must be brave enough to cancel any election where cheating is proven and punish the people involved, no matter how powerful they are.
• Civic Education: We need to teach voters (like we are doing now!) that 5,000 Naira today is not worth four years of suffering, bad roads, and no electricity.
• Security for Voters: The police and army must protect the voters and the ballot boxes, not the politicians.
• Punishment for Offenders: People caught snatching boxes or buying votes should be sent to jail to serve as a warning to others.

Your Role as a Young Citizen

You might not be 18 yet, but you have a role:

• Educate your parents: Tell them what you learned today about vote buying.
• Refuse to be a Thug: Never let a politician hire you to cause trouble during an election. They usually have their own children safely tucked away in schools abroad while they ask you to risk your life.
• Stay Informed: Know how the process works so nobody can confuse you in the future.

Summary Table for Revision

Class Discussion Question

If a politician offers your family money to vote for them, and your family is very hungry and needs the money, what would you advise them to do?