Benue State University, Makurdi

Electoral Violence and Political Instability in Nigeria before the Fourth Republic: A Historical Interrogation

Erinosho, Timothy O. & Osunkoya, Olusesan A.

Abstract

Nigeria experienced instances of tragic electoral violence and political instability after the attainment of independence in October 1960. This unsavoury development portended great danger to the continued existence of the nation as attested to by the bloody civil war of 1967-70 whose occurrence was precipitated by a myriad of problems. These problems included the electoral violence that followed the massive rigging and other irregularities that characterized the 1964 general elections. In addition, 1965 Western Region elections and the subsequent military takeover in the wee hours of 15 January 1966 compounded the situation. If the political class had done the right thing by adhering to the rules guiding democracy, the military would not have been given any alibi to intervene in the nation's politics. Even after returning to civil rule in 1979, violence still marred the elections conducted during the Second Republic. The essence of this study is to bring to the fore the challenges and problems that had scuttled the emergence of an egalitarian society in the body polity called Nigeria due to frustration that hindered meaningful nation building. This found expression in the nation's political leadership inability to abide by democratic principles needful for floating stable and progressive governments but whose seed had been planted by the British colonial rulers who introduced unsavoury socio-political and economic policies that were to spell doom to Nigeria's body polity after the white rulers' departure.

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