This paper argued that the emergence of democracy in Sub-Saharan Africa is rooted in socioeconomic
grievances and demand for better standards of living expressed by the people against obnoxious regimes -
colonialism, military or civilian. Besides, the form of economic system, internal misrule, the complicity of
western governments, development donors and creditors (such as IMF and World Bank) have also influenced
the process of democratization and governance in particular directions generating serious implications for
the continent's overall development. Thus, since 1999, the expectation of the people of Nigeria that the return
to civilian administration would create platform for them to savour the dividends of democracy have not
being met. This is particularly so given the high jacking of the processes of political competition and
elections by the elite and the middle class who exploit it for their selfish benefits rather than for economic
redistribution of resources and improving the quality of life of the citizenry. This realism explains the fact
that twelve years into civilian rule, massive corruption, absence of political openness, transparency,
accountability, electoral rigging, god-fatherism etc holds sway in the polity, coupled with huge incidence of
poverty, inequality, unemployment and poor social infrastructure. The paper interrogates the subject of
political corruption and national development in Nigeria through the prism of clientelism, prebendal ism and
patrimonial ism, in espousing the bane of continuing underdevelopment in the Nigerian society. The paper
concludes on the premise that political corruption will be fought headlong when we create political
stntctures where the economic and political rights of the people are justiceable; create an environment
where the citizenry can define the kind and type of political change they really desire rather than the one
that are foist on them