African Studies Quarterly
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African Studies Quarterly Volume 15, Issue 2 March 2015 Published by the Center for African Studies, University of Florida ISSN: 2152-2448 African Studies Quarterly Executive Staff R. Hunt Davis, Jr. - Editor-in-Chief Todd H. Leedy - Associate Editor Anna Mwaba - Managing Editor Jessica Horwood - Book Review Editor Editorial Committee Oumar Ba Nicholas Knowlton Lina Benabdallah Cecilia Kyalo Fred Boateng Eric Lake Mamadou Bodian Chesney McOmber Jennifer Boylan Stuart Mueller Renee Bullock Moise C. Ngwa Ben Burgen Collins R. Nunyonameh Jessica Casimir Therese Kennelly-Okraku Amanda Edgell Sam Schramski Dan Eizenga Abiyot Seifu Timothy Fullman Caroline Staub Ryan Good Donald Underwood Victoria Gorham Sheldon Wardwell Emily Hauser Joel O. Wao Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim Advisory Board Adélékè Adéèko Parakh Hoon Ohio State University Virginia Tech Timothy Ajani Andrew Lepp Fayetteville State University Kent State University Abubakar Alhassan Richard Marcus Bayero University California State University, Long Beach John W. Arthur Kelli Moore University of South Florida, St. James Madison University Petersburg Mantoa Rose Motinyane Nanette Barkey University of Cape Town Plan International USA James T. Murphy Susan Cooksey ClarK University University of Florida Lilian Temu Osaki Mark Davidheiser University of Dar es Salaam Nova Southeastern University Dianne White Oyler Kristin Davis Fayetteville State University International Food Policy Research Alex Rödlach Institute Creighton University African Studies Quarterly | Volume 15, Issue 2| March 2015 http://www.africa.ufl.edu/asq Jan Shetler Peter VonDoepp Goshen College University of Vermont Roos Willems Catholic University of Leuven African Studies Quarterly | Volume 15, Issue 2| March 2015 http://www.africa.ufl.edu/asq © University of Florida Board of Trustees, a public corporation of the State of Florida; permission is hereby granted for individuals to download articles for their own personal use. Published by the Center for African Studies, University of Florida. African Studies Quarterly | Volume 15, Issue 2| March 2015 http://www.africa.ufl.edu/asq Table of Contents Oil Corrupts Elections: The Political Economy of Vote-Buying in Nigeria Hakeem Onapajo, Suzanne Francis, and Ufo Okeke-Uzodike (1-21) The Rise and Fall of the Rwanda-Uganda Alliance (1981-1999) Scott McKnight (23-52) The Cattle are ‘Ghanaians’ but the Herders are Strangers: Farmer-Herder Conflicts, Expulsion Policy and Pastoralist Question in Agogo, Ghana Azeez Olaniyan, Michael Francis, and Ufo Okeke-Uzodike (53-67) A Community-Based Program in A Non-Existent Community Kwadwo Adusei-Asante (69-84) The Repugnancy and Incompatibility Tests and Customary Law in Anglophone Cameroon Mikano E. Kiye (85-106) Book Reviews Julius O. Adekunle and Hettie Williams, eds. 2013. Converging Identities: BlacKness in the Modern African Diaspora. Durham: Carolina Academic Press. 325 pp. Review by Portia Owusu (107-108) Leonardo Arriola. 2013. Multiethnic Coalitions in Africa: Business Financing of Opposition Election Campaigns. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 304 pp. Review by Devon Knudsen Ochieng (108-109) Anna Aulette-Root, Floretta Boonzaier, and Judy Aulette. 2014. South African Women Living with HIV: Global Lessons from Local Voices. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press. 166 pp. Review by Dana Grisby (110-111) Huw Bennett. 2013. Fighting the Mau Mau: The British Army and Counter-Insurgency in the Kenya Emergency. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 307 pp. Review by Mediel Hove (111-112) Tanja A. Börzel and Christian R. Thauer, eds. 2013. Business and Governance in South Africa: Racing to the Top? Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan. 274 pp. Review by Chigozie Agatha Ugwoji (113-114) Brenda Cooper. 2013. A New Generation of African Writers: Migration, Material Culture and Language. Rochester, NY: James Currey. 182 pp. Review by Joshua Ondieki (114-115) Frederick Cooper. 2014. Africa in the World: Capitalism, Empire, Nation-State. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. 130 pp. Review by Robert Nathan (116-117) African Studies Quarterly | Volume 15, Issue 2| March 2015 http://www.africa.ufl.edu/asq Ulf Engel and Manuel João Ramos. 2013. African Dynamics in a Multipolar World. Leiden: Brill. 219 pp. Review by István Tarrósy (118-119) Toyin Falola and Emmanuel M. Mbah, eds. 2014. Contemporary Africa: Challenges and Opportunities. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 261 pp. Review by Paul Chiudza Banda (119-121) Edmond J. Keller. 2014. Identity, Citizenship, and Political Conflict in Africa. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 208 pp. Review by Ndubuisi C. Ezeluomba (121-122) Ali A. Mazrui and Lindah L. Mhando. 2013. Julius K. Nyerere, Africa’s Titan on the Global Stage: Perspectives from Arusha to Obama. Durham: Carolina Academic Press. 390 pp. Review by Conrad John Masabo (122-124) Kidane Mengisteab. 2014. The Horn of Africa. Cambridge: Polity Press. 272 pp. Review by Mukerem Miftah (124-125) Michelle R. Moyd. 2014. Violent Intermediaries: African Soldiers, Conquest, and Everyday Colonialism in German East Africa. Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Press. 328 pp. Review by James L. Giblin (125-127) Zoe Norridge. 2013. Perceiving Pain in African Literature. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 239 pp. Review by Charles Ngiewih Teke (127-128) Derek R. Peterson. 2012. Ethnic Patriotism and the East African Revival: A History of Dissent, c. 1935–1972. New York: Cambridge University Press. 344 pp. Review by Daewon Moon (128-130) Peter Polack. 2013. The Last Hot Battle of the Cold War: South Africa vs. Cuba in the Angolan Civil War. Philadelphia: Casemate. 232 pp. Review by Phil Muehlenbeck (130-131) Robert Ross. 2014. The Borders of Race in Colonial South Africa: The Kat River Settlement, 1829- 1956. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 340 pp. Review by Tony Voss (132-133) Ian Taylor. 2014. Africa Rising?: BRICS - Diversifying Dependency. Suffolk: James Curry. 194 pp. Review by Kelli N. Moore (133-134) Olufemi Taiwo. 2014. Africa Must be Modern: A Manifesto. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. 224 pp. Review by Jonathan O. Chimakonam (134-136) Kjetil Tronvoll and Daniel R Mekonnen. 2014. The African Garrison State: Human Rights and Political Development in Eritrea. James Currey: Rochester, NY. 212 pp. Review by Salih O. Nur (136-138) African Studies Quarterly | Volume 15, Issue 2| March 2015 http://www.africa.ufl.edu/asq African Studies Quarterly | Volume 15, Issue 2 | March 2015 Oil Corrupts Elections: The Political Economy of Vote- Buying in Nigeria HAKEEM ONAPAJO, SUZANNE FRANCIS, and UFO OKEKE- UZODIKE Abstract: The extant perspectives on vote-buying have produced three central arguments around its causes, which are the factors of poverty, the electoral/voting system, and the nature of politics in the state. Going beyond these perspectives, this study presents the argument that vote-buying can also be explained by considering the nature of the political economy of a state, especially when the state is oil- dependent. The Nigerian case study demonstrates this argument. We employ the “oil-impedes-democracy” framework, which is a strand of the resource curse theory, to argue that the incidence of vote-buying in Nigeria’s contemporary elections is prevalent because of the oil wealth associated with politics and elections in the state. This is because abundant oil wealth intensifies elite competition, which explains the use of all strategies to win elections including vote-buying. This is also facilitated by the fact that the political elite, especially the incumbent, have adequate access to oil wealth and spend it to “buy” elections and hold on power. Voters, on their part, also prefer to sell their votes during elections to have a share of the “national cake” given their perception of the wealth associated with politics in Nigeria and the poor service delivery by politicians after assuming state offices. Introduction “[In Nigeria], political parties budget to bribe security and INEC officials. This is a very serious challenge to our democracy.” The above remark was made by Attahiru Jega, the current chairman of Nigeria’s electoral body, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), to lament the sorry state of elections in that country.1 This revealing statement corroborates the many narratives of fraud and malpractice in the successive elections held in Nigeria since its return to democracy in 1999. Clearly, a significant part of the problem with Nigeria’s electoral process, especially in light of Jega’s statement, has been the prevailing incidence of vote- buying (exchange of cash or gifts for votes), which has almost become a norm during elections. Indeed, vote-buying in its different dimensions has been a common and recurring feature in the reports of observers on Nigeria’s elections. The reports are usually characterized by statements such as: “a politician…was alleged by voters to have distributed money to people who queued to vote as well as electoral and security officials at a polling Hakeem Onapajo is a PhD candidate in Political Science at the School of Social Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal. Suzanne Francis is Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal. Ufo Okeke-Uzodike is Professor, International and Public Affairs Cluster, School of Social Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg Campus. http://www.africa.ufl.edu/asq/v15/v15i2a1.pdf © University of Florida Board of Trustees, a public corporation of the State of Florida; permission is hereby granted