Electoral Process and Management in Nigeria: Towards a Non-violent General Election

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume II, Issue VIII, August 2018 | ISSN 2454–6186

Electoral Process and Management in Nigeria: Towards a Non-violent General Election

Asadu Ikechukwu

Ph.D, Department of Public Administration and Local Government, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria

Abstract: – Election is a vital instrument of democratic governance. For election to achieve its objectives as a mechanism for smooth transfer of power and exercise of peoples’ sovereignty, it should be free and fair; devoid of any form of electoral cum political violence. Nigeria constitution and electoral laws outlaw electoral violence and stipulate penalties for offenders. Not withstanding the legal provisions against electoral violence, incidences of violence have continued to manifest in local, state and federal elections in Nigeria. The paper examined the salient factors responsible for electoral violence in Nigeria and its effects with a view to suggesting appropriate measures for reducing the rate of violent incidence during elections in Nigeria. The methodology of the paper is qualitative and descriptive. Data for the study were generated through documentaries and structured oral interview. The generated data were subjected to contextual-descriptive analysis. The findings among other things demonstrate that pervasive poverty and illiteracy; winner-take-all syndrome; excessive monetization of politics; political godfatherism and low civic education contribute to electoral violence in Nigeria. Consequently, the paper suggests capacity building for electoral bodies; zero tolerance to corruption; strengthened security agencies; strengthened civil society; poverty reduction and youth empowerment; less monetization of politics as measures to counter electoral violence.

Key words: electoral violence, electoral process, free and fair election, non-violent election, election

I. INTRODUCTION

There is a mounting worldwide appreciation that reliable and violent-free election represents a major factor in democracy, democratization and good governance. Elections in democracy are indispensable components that allow smooth transition of power from one government to another and play crucial task of ensuring representation of popular will and legitimization of political system. Election has been perceived as an irreducible attribute of representative democracy where political parties and autonomous candidates contend for elective positions in a free and fair environment in which the citizens are legitimately empowered to contribute in selecting those that will man the affairs of the state within a given period. Democracy as guarantees by the 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria and electoral laws prohibit securing of political positions through violence and undemocratic means.

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