ABSTRACT:

This paper was designed to investigate money politics and vote buying in Nigeria as a threat to democratic governance in Benue State. Four research questions were raised and answered with two hypotheses tested using Makurdi Local Area as a case study. The population for the paper consisted of all the 20,260, civil servants in Benue State, 14 Commissioners in 14 Ministries and 15 Councilors in the 14 Council wards in Makurdi Local Government Area. The sample for the paper was 392 respondents. Data collected for the paper was described using arithmetic mean, and Chi-square statistics was employed to test the hypotheses. Findings of the paper revealed that money politics and vote buying have serious threats to democratic governance in Benue State. The paper concluded that it is necessary to conclude all legislative processes be implemented in time to enable stakeholders appreciate the operating laws for the exercise be made for good governance in Benue State. It was recommended that the Electoral and other institutional reforms should be effective. Anti-corruption agencies need to collaborate with banks and other financial institutions to monitor the movement of cash during elections. Also essential, is a culture of democratic citizenship that begins with a citizenry ready to insist on credible and transparent elections. Voters should be sensible enough to imbibe moral objections to vote buying.