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The Role Of Foreign Election Observers In Democratic Elections In Nigeria
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Nigeria’s politics right from the 90s are
usually characterized by violence. It has always been a case that if a
candidate loses, he and his party members will take to violence to
alleviate their dissatisfaction over the election results. The past
(military) and present governments have contributed in encouraging this
unnecessary means of reacting to election results (Babatunde, 2007:54).
From that time still date, elections in Nigeria are usually known for
many irregularities and violence which have affected the economic,
social and political stability of the country.
Elections globally are
very important practice for both developed and developing country, as
it serves as one of the means for sustainable development of a
countries(Attahiru, 2011:5). It encourages the practice of democracy,
giving the citizens chance to participate in the governance of their
country.
Nigeria’s 2015 general election was an election that can
never be forgotten in the history of Nigeria. It was an election that
left Nigerians in fear of what might be its possible outcome, as the
environment was really tensed. The absence of war after the 2015 general
elections was a good sign that Nigeria will forever stand united, as
there were many speculations from international observers and even from
Nigerians that the outcome of the election might possibly lead to war.
These fears were very obvious bearing some reasons in mind: first being
that there was a strong opposition party that had bounced back stronger
to take over from the ruling party of which they succeeded, second being
that the economy of the country was under serious attack from the Boko
Haram insecurity in the northern part of the country which could
discourage voters and finally, it was crystal clear that the electoral
body (INEC) was really unprepared as there were noticeable lapses in
their conducts; coupled with the postponement of the election from 14th
February to 28th March (Onapajo, 2015). Bearing the above points in
mind, it was difficult for anyone to expect peaceful elections across
the country that was why there were comments from international
observers about the 2015 election. The 2015 general election was
characterized with the opposition party taking over power from the
incumbent president, which has never happened in the history of Nigeria.
Over
some decades now, international observers have been witnessing
elections in Africa and reporting to the global community on how it went
in their host community (Obi and Abutudu, 1999:22). Election monitoring
in Africa has gradually been adopted by almost all African countries as
a way of strengthening their political processes(Geisla, 1993:56-57).
International observers are usually seen as being objective and
non-partisan, and this is why their presence is highly needed in the
assessment of the performance of the activities of a country during her
election.
International observers are not only seen in Africa during
elections, but also other western countries of the world (Stack,
1993:22-23). International observers include governmental and
non-governmental institutions like Economic Communities of West African
States (ECOWAS), United Nations, etc.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This paper is about the role of foreign election observers in democratic elections in Nigeria: a case study of the 2015 presidential elections. The conduct of the 2015 Presidential election in Nigeria recorded mixed outcomes. Although fears that Election Day would be marred by serious violence were allayed to a large extent, some instances of technical hitches, vote buying and other forms of electoral manipulations were recorded in some parts. However, these electoral hitches were not sufficient ... Continue reading---
