Vote-selling in Nigeria pervades and permeates the electoral space, where it has become the primary instrument of electoral fraud. Previous research has indicated a strong correlation between vote-buying and underinvestment and poor delivery of public services. There remains, however, a significant gap in the current literature regarding the nature of the relationship between vote-selling and the delivery of public services. The purpose of this study was to uncover voters' behaviors by investigating their common and lived experiences with respect to the provision of infrastructure, delivery of public services, and voting during elections. Using Bandura's theory of reciprocal determinism, the research explored the connection between environment and vote-selling. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 10 individuals who participated in the most recent elections in Akoko North West Local Government, Ondo State, Nigeria. The data were analyzed using Moustakas's transcendental phenomenological process. Key findings suggest a reciprocal relationship between vote-selling, and infrastructure and public services. The study findings also revealed that vote-sellers' feel justified because vote-selling is perceived as a product of disappointment, lack of trust and voters' apathy, willingness to accept their own share of 'national cake,' and poverty. These findings are consistent with Bandura's proposition that people create the society and equally react to environmental factors. This study contributes to the existing literature and may enhance social change initiatives by improving the understanding of the connection between the provision of infrastructure and the delivery of public services and vote-selling.

The thesis aims to explore the media framing of Nigeria’s 2023 election in relation to votebuying: How did the Nigerian print media portray the legitimacy of the 2023 election in relation to vote-buying? In addressing the research question, Entman’s (1993) framing theory is used. For identifying the themes and patterns around the framing of the election Entman’s four questions, defining the problems, diagnosing causes, making moral judgments, and treatment recommendations, in connection with the existing literature on vote buying are employed. The thesis is a single-case study adopting a qualitative content analysis for analyzing 26 articles from Daily Post, Nigerian Tribune, Premium Times, PUNCH, The Cable, The Guardian, This Day, and Vanguard. The results indicated that the media, with the exception of two media outlets, overwhelmingly framed vote-buying as an illegitimate fraudulent electoral practicecaused by poverty and hunger. It is framed as detrimental to democratic governance and the media suggested predominantly enforcement measures such as election monitoring and criminal prosecution as possible remedies