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Independent National Electoral Commission And Democratic Consolidation In Nigeria
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A careful observation of the management of elections by
INEC in carrying out their duties while participating in the electoral
process in Nigeria is part of the sources of violence and insecurity
during elections. Unfortunately, there is however no informed emphasis
on the central role played by INEC to ensure that the level of voter’s
apathy during elections in Nigeria is reduced. Few of the existing
analyses on the subject deal essentially with the mutually reinforcing
questions of political violence and electoral fraud and only touch upon
the INEC tangentially. As a matter of emphasis, credibility of elections
depends amongst other factors on the level of voter’s participation in
the entire election process.
Outside the developed democracies, and
recently from the Latin American and post-communist European
experiences, very little is known about the role of election management
bodies like INEC in achieving credible election devoid of voter’s
apathy. It has been noted that several African regimes suffered from
these democratic setbacks, but could it be that most of these states
face a popular participation deficit in the process of democratization?
Further research should explore this possibility especially in Africa
where elections are often marred by low voter turnout. The discourse on
elections often center on free and fair elections for good reasons. But
what happens when free and fair elections are by a national majority (or
a minority of the voters)? This question leads us to investigate voter
turnout as a credible causal factor (even if partly) for democratic
reversal or consolidation in Africa. This knowledge gap is most acute in
Nigeria and Africa in general. Against this backdrop, this study seeks
to investigate the impact of the INEC as an electoral management body on
democratic consolidation in Nigeria.
1.3 Research Questions
The following research questions guided the formulation of objectives and research hypotheses:
i. What is the impact of the introduction of an
electronic accreditation process on the level of election credibility in
Nigeria?
ii. What is the impact of the introduction
of Permanent Voter’s Card on voter’s participation in election process?
1.4 Objectives of the Study
i. To examine the impact of the introduction of
electronic accreditation process on the level of election credibility in
Nigeria.
ii. To investigate the impact of the
introduction of Permanent Voter’s Card on voter’s participation in
election process.
iii. To suggest measures that will
help to ensure that future elections in Nigeria are more credible and
devoid of voters’ disenfranchisement.
1.5 Research Hypotheses
i.
The introduction of electronic accreditation process tended to promote
the level of election credibility in Nigeria.
ii. The
introduction of Permanent Voter’s Card is likely to increase voter’s
participation in election process in Nigeria.
1.6 Significance of the Study
From
the empirical point of view, this study will be of benefit to INEC by
bringing to the fore the various challenges faced by the commission in
the process of conducting elections. It is also hoped that this study
will throw-up a world of opportunities for solutions to voter’s apathy
and election credibility with regards to the activities of INEC in
election administration.
Theoretically, the findings of this study
will contribute immensely to the academic community as it will help to
contribute to existing knowledge and literature on election management
in Nigeria, as well as, provide new grounds for further research by
challenging the intellect of scholars, students and researchers.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This study investigated the impact of the INEC as an electoral management body on democratic consolidation in Nigeria. This was premised on the observation Nigeria continues to witness with growing disappointments and apprehension as to its inability to conduct peaceful, free, fair and open elections in which results are widely accepted and respected across the country. The objectives of this study were among others, to examine the impact of the introduction of electronic accreditation process o ... Continue reading---
