Strategic Approaches to Eliminate Electoral and Political Violence in Nigeria

Authors

  • Nlemchukwu Emmanuel Department of Sociology,University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria
  • Chioma Daisy Onyige Department of Sociology,University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Keywords:

Election, Electoral Violence, Political Violence, Democracy.

Abstract

Electoral and political violence represents one of the greatest challenges of many democratic societies. Electoral violence has become a feature of Nigeria’s political landscape. The foundation of electoral violence in Nigeria has been attributed to social and political marginalization, poverty, unemployment and under-employment and other unbearable human problems which are built on intervening processes that connect to electoral violence which has direct relationship with arms proliferation. While some scholars argue that small arms are one direct cause of insecurity, others maintain that small arms are mere triggers or precipitating factors. There is a wide range of provisions of the criminal and civil law which could check electoral violence. This paper posits that the anomalies emanating from electoral violence can be check-mated if such punishments enumerated are dutifully applied to offenders irrespective of their class or creed.  These will go a long way in restoring democratic fascination, free, fair and credible elections in our nations’ polity. Furthermore the causes of electoral violence are traceable to political exclusion and economic deprivation.  There is an urgent need for an intervention into the underlying causes of electoral and political violence in Nigerian politics in other for democracy to prevail.

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Published

2019-04-18

How to Cite

Emmanuel, N., & Daisy Onyige, C. (2019). Strategic Approaches to Eliminate Electoral and Political Violence in Nigeria. American Scientific Research Journal for Engineering, Technology, and Sciences, 54(1), 173–184. Retrieved from https://asrjetsjournal.org/index.php/American_Scientific_Journal/article/view/4791

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