THE IMPACT OF VOTE BUYING ON CANDIDATE CREDIBILITY: INSIGHTS FROM BAYELSA STATE'S 2023 ELECTIONS

The research focused on vote buying in Nigeria and how it affected the election of credible candidates in the 2023 National and State Assembly elections in Bayelsa State. Vote buying involves offering money to voters to influence them to vote for a specific candidate, thereby affecting the election outcome. This practice has become a widespread phenomenon, turning into a large-scale business as political parties and candidates compete to secure election victory at all cost. This trend poses a challenge in electing credible candidates who lack the financial resources to engage in vote buying. The study utilized a survey research design, thus the primary data was obtained through questionnaires and oral interviews. A total of 5000 questionnaires were distributed to voters and stakeholders in selected communities from the eight local governments areas in Bayelsa State and 3200 were retrieved from the respondents. The data obtained from the questionnaire was analyzed using the arithmetic mean. The findings identified the high level of poverty among the voting population and the failure of security agents to apprehend vote buyers and sellers as primary factors driving vote buying in Bayelsa State. The study recommended various measures, including implementing policies to reduce poverty and enacting laws to restrict the amount of physical cash individuals can bring to polling units during elections.