The Political Class as a Threat to Democracy in Nigera's Fourth Republic (original) (raw)
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Democracy is the process which allows for high level of peoples participation in decision-making and policy formulation through their chosen representatives. However, more than 15 years of democratic experience, it is a fact that in the Fourth Republic, governance at all levels in Nigeria has been characterized with lack of in-depth politicizing, inexperience and outright immaturity, so the much expected socioeconomic and political dividends of democracy are not realizable. This persistent phenomenon of ineffective governance from 1999 to 2015 has effectively raised a generation of engendered and disillusioned citizenry. The development has inevitably heightened the fear on the possibility of consolidation and sustainability of democracy in Nigeria. The emphasis of this paper is on the myriads of challenges and problems which have inhibited the consolidation and sustainability of the country's democratic process. The process is presently inundated and marred by administrative and executive trials and errors. Established evidences abound that elections have been marred by unprecedented abuse of the electoral process in form of election rigging, ballot snatching, inadequate and late arrival of voting materials at polling centres, vote buying, connivance between the ruling party elites and INEC to manipulate and even declare false elections results. However, the towering giant issue is that of the political class and the various political institutions which have constantly failed to uphold the tenets of democracy in the real sense of the word. The methodology adopted to prosecute this paper is qualitative based on historical, institutional and comparative inquiry. The paper is of the opinion that for Nigeria to experience consolidated and sustainable democracy leading to socioeconomic and political development, the political class must rise above party affiliations and personal pecuniary gains while the various institutions must become credible and also implant the act of good and selfless governance in the country.
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Liberal democracy all over the world is a welcome phenomenon. In every modern society the game of politics is influenced tremendously by the elite class that projects the political culture which could make or mar democracy, as a result of the activities of the political parties. The adoption of western democracy is a mixed bag of blessing and catastrophes in the body politics of the country. Today, it is difficult to reconcile Nigerian democracy with that of the advanced democratic Countries. In Nigeria, politics is regarded as a “dirty game” which scares away the down-trodden people. It has been noted that the level of socio-economic development in the country is significantly related to the nature of politics in vogues. Political parties are primarily aimed at primitive accumulation of wealth. Where, “the end justifies the means”. The prevailing election rigging, thuggery, corruption, fear and intimidation by security agencies as well as hate speech in the campaigns of the politic...
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In every modern society, politics is influenced tremendously by an elite class that projects the political culture which could make or mar democracy, as a result of the activities of the political parties. The adoption of western democracy is a mixed bag of blessing and catastrophes in the body politics of the country. Today it is difficult to reconcile Nigerian democracy with that of the advanced democratic countries. In Nigeria, politics is regarded as a “dirty game” which scare away many people. It has been noted that the level of socio-economic development in the country is significantly related to the nature of politics in vogue.. Political parties are primarily aimed at primitive accumulation of wealth. Hence, “the end justifies the means”. The prevailing election rigging, thuggery, bribery and corruption reflect value degeneration with the attendant instability in the country‟s democracy. The purpose of this paper is to examine the nature of corruption and the roles of politi...
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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 ...
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This paper examines contemporary dimensions of electoral politics in Nigeria against a backdrop of historical experiences. It details issues, events and developments before, during and after elections. Its central argument is that Nigeria has suffered from both institutional (organizations + values /rules/norms) and experiential deficits in regard of required ramparts for electoral politics conducive to democratic renewal and consolidation. Organisations have been bereft of values required for turning them into effective institutions while dominant values have been toxic to democratic politicking. While years of dictatorship under colonial, military and civil rule partly account for the parlous state of electoral politics in Nigeria, the nature of political leadership, its shortsightedness as well as its lack of commitment to and experience in the democratic management of diversity in the context of restrained governance, have devalued politics and elections in Nigeria, reducing the...
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Against the general notion of democracy as a means of popular participation, in Nigeria the populace have been systematically silenced by the oppressing forces of the government and grossly denied the opportunities to participate in debate on most of the critical socioeconomic and political issues that have direct impacts on the citizen‟s lives. More often than none, few privileged individuals have continued to force their opinions and interests on the state without consideration for general interests. This schism according to Badmus, (2014) is due to the nature and structure of Nigerian state from inception which is characterised by intense struggling for political power, blatant disregard for the rule of law, gross corruption and high incidence of disregard for democratic values... Meanwhile, the political stability and development of any political system is a function of active involvement of the citizens in civic and political matters, particularly, on issues affecting their collective interests. This paper argues that since the return of democratic rule in 1999, there has been high level of discontents among the general populace toward nature of democratic rule in Nigeria. This is due to the fact that democracy in Nigeria has continued to foster the interests of the few privileged as against the common interests and this situation has continued to threaten democratic stability and consolidation. Keyword: party politics, democratic experiment, democracy, popular participation
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In human society, politics is seen as every day game, individuals or group struggle to dominate over the activities of life. This is why the great Greek philosopher Aristotle saw man as a political animal. This has come to justify that politics started from time immemorial but the method of playing it (politics) among or between individuals and nations varied. In the course of acquisition of power, violence of all kinds seems to occur especially during elections. In the electoral process of a developed country democracy is always generally competitive. There is necessity to define the concepts of our key studies which includes: Electoral malpractices; this is one of the political immoral vices, which always occur in Nigeria politics, these include rigging of election and snatching of ballot boxes. Political crisis is the problems that always occur while conducting elections and this is as a result of electoral malpractices. Growing democracy refers to those states or nations which gained independence after the second world-war.
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This paper attempts to look at some challenges impeding Nigerian democratic development. Nigerian democracy is apparently enshrouded or marred by manipulation of religion, region, ethnicity, rigging, post-election violence, and abuse of human rights etcetera. This exploitation of democracy has been growing from simple to complex in all nooks and crannies of the country since the return to civilian rule in 1999. The struggles for selfdetermination by Africans during the colonial period strongly and clearly aimed at a democratic system of government, where the majority could determine who gets what, when and how. Moreover, it is a known fact that the basis and beauty of any democratic dispensation lies in its ability to conduct free, fair and credible elections at all levels as well as respect human rights. This undoubtedly paves the way for other democratic dividends. Unfortunately, in Nigeria, right from the First Republic to the present-day, the opposition parties have been suppressed and manipulated a great deal; with no hope for justice and fair play from the electoral bodies and even the judiciary which is supposed to be the last resort of the common man at the grassroots. Therefore, the paper unearths and elucidates on some democratic challenges in the Fourth Republic. Finally and sanguinely, this paper concludes that the interpretations and assessments in this research will provide positive historical evaluation and paradigm shift in apprehending the realities of Nigerian democracy and proffering solutions to the impediments therein.
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Democracy plays a very important and crucial role in promoting good governance and national development. The common feature is its emphasis on improving the socio-economic welfare of the people and this is synonymous with the idea of national development. Without doubt, most countries and continents of the world have had traumatic, exasperating and ugly experiences in organizing themselves democratically. Almost every nation, rightly or wrongly, freely or compulsively, wants to be seen as democratic even though the political system bears no semblance of a democracy. Against all odds, all over today’s world, there are serious clamors and yearnings for democratization and these seem to make democracy very fashionable. In light of the above therefore, this paper critically examines the challenges and prospects of democracy and national development in Nigeria. It argues that the ubiquity of electoral malpractices in Nigeria and corruption are the two major challenges to the materializat...