Citation

Ugwuoke CO, Ajah BO, Onyejegbu CD. Aggress. Violent Behav. 2020; 53: e101457.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.avb.2020.101457

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Nigeria embraced democracy in 1999 and adopted a tenure-based governance system that ensures transition of public leaderships every 4 years. From 1999 till date, implementation of this tenured-based leadership-change system has been shrouded in weaponized disagreements and violent crimes. Elections are the central activities in the transition procedures. Carrying out electioneering processes usually attracts over 99% of the weaponized disagreements and violent crimes, having elections conducted peacefully is equivalent to having peaceful leadership transitions in Nigeria. Following the country's deep history of ethnic division and about 33 years of military dictatorship that drowned Nigerians' fighting spirit for a better country, elections have become gun-wielding battles and Nigerians have lost the drive to fight violence and shape their democracy for the better. This paper studies how Nigeria is fundamentally divided and how these divisions precipitate violent crime patterns in Nigerian democratic transitions. The paper also recommends a true federal system to reduce ethnic-based violence and give true independence to public institutions including the legislative and judicial arms of governments, and ensure a boarder peaceful conduct of Nigerian elections.

Language: en

Keywords

Democratic transition; Developing patterns; Election; Violent crime