Northern elderstatesman, Ibrahim Balarabe-Musa, has identified the growing influence of money in Nigerian politics as the major factor destroying the country’s democratic system, warning that the increasing cost of seeking elective office is pushing competent and credible Nigerians out of politics.
This warning was issued by the Kaduna-based son of the late former Kaduna State Governor, Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa.
According to the Balarabe-Musa scion, the huge financial demands associated with seeking elective office had created a political culture where candidates were judged more by their wealth and spending capacity than their competence, integrity and willingness to serve.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Arewa PUNCH on Thursday, ahead of the 2027 general elections, the bureaucrat called for constitutional reforms to remove immunity for political office holders and align the salaries and wages of legislators, governors and other elected officials with the civil service structure.
“The Constitution should be amended to remove immunity. That is number one. Number two, go into the Constitution and then make it mandatory — or if it is the Electoral Act or whatever — to bring back the salaries and wages of legislators, governors and others to the level of the civil service. Use the civil service scale for them,” he advocated.
He further canvassed the need to reduce the financial benefits attached to political offices to discourage individuals who enter politics primarily for personal enrichment and encourage people genuinely interested in public service.
“That wouldn’t make politics attractive. It is only people who are ready to serve that will go into it,” Balarabe-Mua said.
The elderstatesman, while criticising the increasing cost of electioneering in Nigeria, said the enormous financial requirements had made politics inaccessible to many Nigerians with the capacity and willingness to serve.
He estimated that contesting the presidency could cost between N10billion and N20billion, while a governorship contest could require between N5billion and N6billion. He put the cost of a senatorial contest at about N3billion and that of securing a seat as a member of the House of Representatives at between N1billion and N2billion.
“Remove the question of money,” he said, arguing that financial capacity should not determine who gets the opportunity to participate in politics.
Balarabe-Musa also lamented that the situation had also created a political culture in which politicians were expected to spend huge sums to gain support, making it difficult for candidates without access to substantial personal wealth or wealthy sponsors to compete.
“They don’t respect you unless you have money. You bring out money. Now, why do they want me to steal and bring out money and give you? They have already formed a culture that only money can save you in politics,” he said.
Continuing, he argued that in other climes, politicians do not need to rely entirely on expensive rallies and other traditional campaign methods, noting that social media and grassroots mobilisation had created cheaper ways of reaching voters.
“Nowadays, there is even social media. Social media for campaigns. You can campaign with your social media. You can even take a bicycle and go to villages to campaign like they do in Japan,” Musa said.
The former governor’s son also opposed the use of government resources and political patronage to sustain supporters, saying economic empowerment should be separated from political office.
“If they want to feed hunger zones, let them go and have a separate business, like farming or small-scale industry. As long as they produce, then they can be given [support]. But they should not rely on government money in the form of salaries, allowances and constituency projects, whatever, whatever and so on,” he said.
He insisted that reducing the financial rewards attached to political office would help weaken the influence of corruption and political cartels.
“Remove that thing called money in our politics and you will see clean people come out,” he said.
He linked the problem of money politics to the broader hardship confronting Nigerians, particularly in education and healthcare, arguing that political leaders should be more concerned about improving the lives of citizens.
“There is nothing right if you leave people to suffer like this. It’s not right. People are hungry. Education is collapsing. The children no longer attend schools and health facilities like our roads are not being maintained; they are collapsing. Teachers are not being paid. Protests everywhere, here and there,” he said.
The northern elder who particularly expressed concern over the rising cost of healthcare, lamented that ordinary Nigerians were increasingly struggling to afford treatment for common illnesses.
“Health services — look at the drugs. If you are sick now, with malaria, you will spend nothing less than N50,000. How can an ordinary person get proper medical aid? And nobody will help you. Nobody will care for you,” he bemoaned the situation.
Asked why he had not pursued elective politics despite being the son of a prominent political figure, Musa said he deliberately stayed away from the political system, despite the potential advantages of his family background.
“Of course, by now, i would have leveraged it in the name of my legacy in order to make an impact, especially in the North, or even Kaduna here, but I can’t play the kind of money politics we play here in the country and in the North because those who bring out their money to enter into our kind of politics usually steal from government’s coffer to recoup their expenses once they enter office. I cannot do that; that is the reason,” he said.
He also rejected suggestions that his family’s background had given him access to inherited wealth, insisting that the legacy he received was one he was developing himself.
“Who told you that we inherited whatever? We didn’t live in illegal money. We inherited nothing. You can even see I’m the one developing things on my own. That is our heritage; self development. This is what I inherited, and I’m going to finish [developing it],” the ex-Kaduna governor’s son Musa said.
Speaking on the 2027 general elections, Balarabe-Musa predicted that the ruling All Progressives Congress could face serious electoral consequences if Nigerians were allowed to freely determine their choices at the ballot box.
He alleged that the ruling party would be reluctant to allow a completely free and fair election, citing political developments in Osun State as an example.
“When there is a free and fair election, that is why the APC will not even allow free and fair election. Look at what they tried to do in Osun. If not because the people refused…” he said.
He acknowledged that voters in the North were capable of breaking away from established voting patterns if they believed political circumstances demanded it.
“The North is literate enough to say, ‘Okay, we’ll replicate what Osun people did,’ he remarked further.
Asked whether he believed the APC would be affected in the 2027 elections, Balarabe-Musa was categorical; “Definitely. APC [will be affected]. They will not win anything. Let them start parking themselves,” he said.
He also dismissed the belief that incumbency automatically guaranteed electoral victory, arguing that governors and other political office holders could not control the choices of voters.
“No. It will be very, very difficult. Almost impossible. It doesn’t matter the strength of the sitting governors or the federal might. You can be a governor. You can be anything, but in this game, you can not control the electorates with what you have to pay.
“The vote pattern will shift this time around. You can not determine anything. Honestly, you cannot determine anything,” he said candidly about the sitting governors.
The septuagenarian further maintained that the credibility of the 2027 elections would ultimately depend on whether Nigerians were allowed to freely choose their leaders, rather than having electoral outcomes determined by money, political influence or incumbency.
