Nigeria MP arrested with nearly $500,000 before election
Al JazeeraFeb 24, 2023
According to police, Nigerian lawmaker Chinyere Igwe was arrested for allegedly carrying almost $500K in cash and a distribution list a day before the country's general elections, sparking fears about the influence of money in the upcoming vote.
Rivers state police claimed that both the money was found inside a bag along with the list in his car overnight on Friday. It's illegal to transport undeclared cash of more than $10K in Nigeria.
The arrest of Igwe is a worrying development in the already tumultuous fragile electoral process in Nigeria. Vote buying is a major threat to democracy in the country, and widespread reports of corruption and bribes have worried authorities as the country faces a nationwide currency shortage.
While Nigeria is facing concerns over its upcoming election, its democracy is doing relatively fine. With almost half of the population registered to vote, the electorate seems highly motivated to cast their ballots. The country will no doubt face challenges, but for the most part, this election cycle has so far provided reassurance about the state of Nigerian democracy.
There's an 11% chance that Nigeria will have a coup before 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.