THE IMPACT OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE ON THE DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE IN NIGERIA
ABSTRACT
Politics and election in normal democratic sense, is a way through which the electorate in any society appoint their leaders or representatives to exercise political power on their behalf. The purpose of this research is to critically examine and analyze political violence in Nigeria. The main objective of the study is to examine and find out the reasons for political violence in Nigeria politics, most especially during the electioneering campaigns and election days and the ways of ensuring that the issue is completely eradicated. Based on these objectives, the researcher adopted the use of both primary and secondary data collection to give a critical of the study. After a critical and thorough study and research on the subject matter the following findings were made, that political violence encourage mass rigging, that political violence cannot be a necessary tool in democratic governance etc. The research therefore recommended that any politician found guilty using political violence to win election must be punished accordingly.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
The hundred and twenty-five years between the French revolution in 1789 and the outbreak of the World War in 1914 are remarkable in the history of government for the development of rise of democracy (Appadonai, 1978:233). The emergence of democracy as a dominant political and social ideology has among other been seen as pivotal instrument of advancing and maintaining progress in some parts of our society.
Democracy is a continuous process and struggle towards actualization of certain values, freedom, equality and justice. No matter how democracy is understood, interpreted and practiced it has a philosophical justification premised on certain cherished human values and ideas.
These values are freedom, equality and justice (Nnoli O. 1986:160).
Political violence in Nigeria is rooted in colonial politics when nationalists began to live men in the absence of state security personnel, in those days, thugs saw themselves more or less as warrior of old whose duty was to protect their leader by wording off any attack on them.
Like the old warrior, many thugs believe in the efficacy and of traditional paraphernalia. Others carry guns, machetes and other weapons.
Today, the distinctive hallmark of political violence in Nigeria is a variety of crimes achieved not only through violence, but also verbal abuse and other derogatory gestures.
Instances of political thuggery include killing of political opponents, party supporters, destruction of both private and public properties spewing ‘’violent’’ languages and deliberate distortion of information to mislead the public.
Contemporary political thugs perform any or all four main functions;
To disrupt the campaign rallies of their opponent and their supporters.
To discourage prospective voters who might vote against their candidate from participating in the electoral process and
To actually maim or even assassinate political opponents and their leading supporters etc.
While politicians, ever selfish about victory, many view violence as a useful weapon of attaining or retaining power. Its negative effects are devastating.
First, it causes damage to lives and properties. Secondly, it is the integrity of the politicians, who use thuggery as a campaign weapon.
Thirdly, thuggery action tends to grab the headlines and displace the candidates ideas and programmes, thereby making it difficult to distinguish between ‘’good’’ and ‘’bad’’ candidates.
Fourthly, thuggery portends a bad omen for the election days instead of preparing citizens to accept election result peacefully, thuggery prepares them for violence, particularly if they feel that their vote were stolen. They may hire thugs as part of their revenge factious as it happen in 1964/1965, 1983, 2003, 2001 and most recently in April 2011 election respectively.
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