The implication perspective frankcollins nnamdi okafor. Jonathans base of support is the christian communities of the southern regions. As i detail in this book, more than half of all elections held in africa experience some form of violence or intimidation either. The military and the nigerian societybackground to june 12 election of 199314the emergence of chief m. Nigerias economic development, based on a close relationship with communistled china, is a clear illustration of this. Lagos, nigeria cnn roughly 17,000 people fled their homes in eight northern nigerian states as violence erupted after presidential elections in africas most populous nation, the nigerian red.
An empirical examination of existing theories gregory wallsworth october 28, 2015 abstract recent studies of election violence in africa found violence mars as many as 80 percent of african elections. Up to 1,000 people could have died in post election violence. One way of understanding post election violence and the possible mediarelated imperatives is to look at the variety of contexts in which it can occur. More than a dozen such elections will take place in 2010 and early 2011. First is the perception of historic marginalization by certain ethnic groups as a consequence of. An assessment of post election violence in nigeria. One way of understanding postelection violence and the possible mediarelated imperatives is to look at the variety of contexts in which it can occur. Electoral violence reared its ugly head again during the highly.
Electoral violence and the survival of democracy in. Report of the commission of inquiry into the 1 august 2018. Young supporters of the runnerup, former president muhammadu buhari, claim that the elections were rigged and that jonathan was not the true winner. Thus, political violence has been a major roadblock to democratic stability in nigeria. The implication perspective frankcollins nnamdi okafor associate professor and head, department of political science, nnamdi azikiwe university, nigeria abstract following the outbursts of violence in previous elections in nigeria, fears have been.
Postelection violence killed 800 human rights watch. Politics and election in ondo state5endnotes12chapter two. The 2011 post election violence, acknowledged as the bloodiest election induced violence. This article identifies poverty, a culture of impunity, weak penalties, a lack of effective governance, and small arms proliferation, amongst others. The major thrust of this paper shall be geared towards analyzing both the preelection and postelection violence at the.
Preventing postelection violence based on the kenyan. Pdf as nigeria moves closer to its 2015 elections, there are concerns that the elections, like the previous ones, will be marred by violence. Postelection assessment of conflict prevention and. This article examines the nigerian postelection violence with regard to the ways in which. Electoral violence and the survival of democracy in nigeria. Lesson for 2015 general election osimen goddy uwa, ologunowa christopher sunday department of political science and international relations, achievers university, owo, nigeria i. Electoral institutions and electoral violence in subsaharan.
Political violence, which constitutes a major challenge to stability in nigeria and africa in general, is a combination of pre and postelection. Mar 03, 2015 the presidential committee on post election violence that was set up by president jonathan to investigate the cause of the 2011 violence had indicted buhari, stating that his provocative remarks played a role in the bloody violence that also led to the death of 10 members of the national youth service corps nysc in bauchi state. To investigate the effect of post election violence on the economic development of kaduna state. In 2011, over 800 people were killed as a result of electionrelated and communal. Political violence over elections has been the phenomenon occurrence in nigeria s democratic environment and to an extent the causes of such violence are been accredited to electoral frauds and manipulations. The incidence of electoral violence in nigeria is as plethora as they. To examine whether 2011 general election were free and fair from the perspective views of kaduna state. Second, sad memories of the 2011 post election violence and its accompanying heavy casualties created fear among many nigerians.
By midjanuary, six hundred kenyans lay dead in an unprecedented orgy of postelection violence. The presidential committee on postelection violence that was set up by president jonathan to investigate the cause of the 2011 violence had indicted buhari, stating that his provocative remarks played a role in the bloody violence that also led to the death of 10 members of the national youth service corps nysc in bauchi state. Postelection violence and the media nigerian democratic report. The government of nigeria should draw upon the lessons learned from the 2007. Media, elections and political violence in eastern africa. In this lecture, i show that in order to understand the causes of post election violence in nigeria, one needs to understand not only the nature of elections in nigeria, the impartiality of the. Causes of electoral violence the causes of electoral violence are multifaceted, and can. According to human rights watch about 140 were killed in political violence before the election alone, between november 2010 until 17 april 2011, the day after the election. Election related violence is not limited to physical violence but includes other coercive means, such as the threat of violence, intimidation and harassment. Political violence, democratic stability, nigeria, election. Causes of electoral violence in africa written by ngah gabriel sous dir.
This incidence of election violence in africa is so high that even an election considered being free, fair and transparent the outcome may not have been free of violence. The role of elections in emerging democracies and post. Postelection violence erupts in nigeria united states. The nigeria security tracker nst expanded its coverage to election related violence just prior to the 2015 elections. Introduction the problem of postelection violence seems to be evermore present as complexities of nationbuilding and. Caleb maupin is a political analyst and activist based in new york. In the postelection stage, politicians may destroy electoral. As nigeria becomes more aware of its ability to assert itself, the wall street imperialists do not aim to reconquer and rebuild. In this post, we will discus the issues behind electoral violence in nigeria. Nigeria, in 2003 federal election, at least 100 people were killed and many. Between 2011 and 2015, nigeria had gone through tough times. A more deepseated provocation is the established pattern in nigeria that the presidency should rotate between a christian and a muslim. Using round 4 afrobaromter survey data from 20 african countries in. Deadly electionrelated and communal violence in northern nigeria following the april 2011 presidential voting left more than 800 people dead, human.
This paper examines the political violence and democratic stability in nigeria. Buhari had refused to condemn possible violent reaction to the election result, which has been interpreted as an invitation to his supporters to riot. The role of elections in emerging democracies and post conflict countries key issues, lessons learned and dilemmas elections have become a major factor in the stabilisation and democratisation of emerging democracies and post conflict countries. Nigeria, systems of government, electionsvoting, violence, executive. In this lecture, i show that in order to understand the causes of postelection violence in nigeria, one needs to understand not only the nature of elections in nigeria, the impartiality of the. The postelection period 39 the complaints process 39. Mapping, evolution and patterns june 2006 may 2014 executive summary an analysis of the nigeria watch database for the period between june 2006 and may 2014 revealed 915 fatal incidents related to elections. By midjanuary, six hundred kenyans lay dead in an unprecedented orgy of post election violence. Given that past incidents of violence are seen as an indicator of the potential for future bloodshed, many fear that a similar outcome will come to pass when the now postponed elections are held on march 28 th 2015. It also looks at the effects of instability and violence in nigerian society and proffers a number of solutions.
Nigeria is a country of overlapping regional, religious, and ethnic divisions. Electoral violence in nigeria council on foreign relations. Electoral violence in nigeria has two broad dimensions, physical and psychological. Pdf issues of electoral violence in nigeria find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Reporting on electoral violence in nigerian news media. Nigerias election history has always been marred by various levels of violence at the pre, during and post election phases, with high consequences including deaths, displacement and destruction of livelihood as was witnessed in the. Political and economic effects of postelection violence on national. Origins and response the april 2011 elections were considered to be one of nigerias fairest polls. O abiola and alhaji bashir tofa17election, election result and annulment of june. Politics as war the human rights impact and causes of postelection violence in rivers state, nigeria. The participants critically analyzed the preelection recommendations developed during the. Elections in africa are periods in which the stability and security of african states hangs in the balance, due to the threat of election violence ibid.
It is an attempt to willfully compromise the integ. The electoral process was generally peaceful until the 1st of august 2018, when many demonstrators took to the streets of harare demanding the immediate release of the election results. Election violence in nigeria dates back over a hundred years, from the days of indirect rule under great britain to postindependence and a series of military regimes. In fact, recent manifestations of electoral violence, most importantly since the birth of the fourth republic in 1999 have assumed an unprecedented magnitude and changing form, resulting in instability in democratic consolidation as well as the loss and displacement of many innocent lives. The recent 2016 post election crisis in gabon12 that left scores dead seems to shows that electoral violence is an intractable phenomenon on the. This presupposes that electoral violence cuts across different stages of election starting from the registration period to post election period. Here, you will see the history of electoral violence in nigeria, factors responsible for electoral violence in nigeria, effects of electoral violence in nigeria as well as solutions to electoral violence in nigeria way forward.
Causes of electoral violence in africa written by ngah. Nigerias 2011 polls will mark the fourth multiparty election in nigeria and, if a power. Preventing postelection violence based on the kenyan experience. The paper is written against the backdrop that, periodic elections are fundamental to the principles of democracy. Commission nhrc, electionrelated violence killed 58 people between december 2014 and february 2015. The link between electoral violence and nigerias 2003 and 2007 elections is analysed based on hoglunds analytical framework of electoral violence, as well as its applicability to the nigerian political situation. Postelection violence where there is persistent and sustained sense of. An appraisal of precipitating factors in nigeria olayiwola victor ojo m sc political science, university of ilorin, ilorin, nigeria abstract nigerias electoral politics from independence has been tumultuous. The 2011 postelection violence, acknowledged as the bloodiest electioninduced violence. Zimbabwe held its national elections on the 30th of july 2018.
Given that past incidents of violence are seen as an indicator of the potential for future bloodshed, many fear that a similar outcome. Related material download pdf file of this report 61 pages, 219 kb download pdf of. Overviewin february 2015, the author wrote an update to this memo to reflect recent developments in nigeria. Electoral institutions and electoral violence in subsaharan africa volume 46 issue 2 hanne fjelde, kristine hoglund. Also, there were gross irregularities in the conduct of the elections that precipitated the military to stage a coup that ended nigeria s first democratic experiment. Electionrelated violence is not limited to physical violence but includes other coercive means, such as the threat of violence, intimidation and harassment.
Postelection assessment of conflict prevention and resolution mechanisms in nigeria. Electoral violence in nigeria is caused by electoral fraud and manipulation of figures and data to deny the rightful winners their popular mandates given to them and certified by the elec toral process. When nigeria went to the polls in 2011, a period of intense postelection violence left over 800 dead and thousands more displaced. The research did not include terrorist attacks by islamic or militant groups with. Election violence in nigeria is not inevitable icrtop blog. The media has a critical role to play in curbing postelection violence in nigeria, writes ojo m. Arguably, the most prominent and visible form of violence, physical electoral violence has remained a recurring theme in the five general election in nigeria. The historical trajectory of electoral process in the post colonial nigerian is characterised by violence. Breaking the cycle of electoral violence in nigeria united states.
Sep 21, 2010 overviewin february 2015, the author wrote an update to this memo to reflect recent developments in nigeria. The role of elections in emerging democracies and postconflict countries key issues, lessons learned and dilemmas elections have become a major factor in the stabilisation and democratisation of emerging democracies and postconflict countries. Post election violence where there is persistent and sustained sense of election fraud. During the 196465 elections, politicians were involved in wide scale murder, kidnapping and arson. In this post, we compare violence from the 2015 national elections, starting. We use cookies to make interactions with our website easy and meaningful, to better.
Electoral violence has regularly been reported in nigeria and manifests in the 3 electoral stages, namely pre election, during election and post election, in various forms. Electoral institutions and electoral violence in sub. More than 250,000 people were internally displaced, made refugees in their own country. Thirdly, the postelection violence that erupted after the announcement of jonathan as winner claimed the lives of about 800 innocent people in northern nigeria human rights watch, 2011. Best practices for the prevention of electoral violence reliefweb. The international media looks at this crisis through the lenses of ethnic cleansing and a fight for tribal supremacy between the luo and the kikuyu.
Nigeria s election history has always been marred by various levels of violence at the pre, during and post election phases, with high consequences including deaths, displacement and destruction of livelihood as was witnessed in the 2011 general elections. Some nigerian experts think we are once again at the cusp of a major national crisis and that the signs are in the electoral map of nigeria, drawn from this election that seems to have highlighted. Postelection violence and the media nigerian democratic. Second, sad memories of the 2011 postelection violence and its accompanying heavy casualties created fear among many nigerians. When nigeria went to the polls in 2011, a period of intense post election violence left over 800 dead and thousands more displaced. Trends in electoral violence in nigeria, rasak bamidele2. Introduction it is apposite to state that political violence is the hallmarks of weakly institutionalize politics. Nov 22, 2017 why do some elections in africa turn violent. Most of the violence occurred after the election, as the results of the presidential poll began to become. For example, nigeria, in 2003 federal election, at least 100 people were killed and many more were injured, 600 people were reported killed in the december 2007 presidential election. To know the remote and immediate causes of the post election violence in april 2011 general election in kaduna state. Violence broke out across nigeria between supporters of the two candidates. Such violence could also be a postelection phenomenon which comes consequent on the manipulation of election results.
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