A legal practitioner and Managing Partner, Prime Summit Attorneys Wuse, Abuja, *Dr. Obiajulu Uja*, has identified hunger and economic hardship as major factors driving money politics and voter manipulation in Nigeria.

Uja stated this while speaking on Beyond the Headlines on Freedom Square TV, hosted by Uchenna Cyril Anioke Ph.D., where he examined voter behaviour ahead of the 2027 elections.

He said it was difficult to expect citizens struggling with basic needs to develop strong political ideology when their immediate concern was survival.

According to him, poverty has created an environment where voters are sometimes willing to accept money from politicians in exchange for their support.

“You can’t tell a hungry man to have ideology,” he said, arguing that economic hardship had weakened ideological politics in Nigeria.

Uja contrasted Nigeria with countries where voters have stronger long-term attachment to political parties and ideologies.

He said the situation in Nigeria was different because many citizens were primarily concerned about meeting their immediate needs.

The lawyer said money offered during campaigns could appear attractive to voters facing severe economic difficulties, even though such payments could ultimately undermine good governance.

He argued that a politician who spends large amounts of money to secure votes may later seek to recover the money through public office.

According to him, this creates a cycle in which voters sell their political choices while elected officials treat public office as an investment.

Uja therefore called for measures that would reduce hunger and underdevelopment, saying economic improvement would help Nigerians make political choices based more on competence, character and ideology than immediate financial benefits.