Electoral Violence In Nigeria: The Case Of Anambra State Gubernatorial Elections
Chapter One
Preface
Background Of The Study
The uncontrolled hunt for power by man in his ever impregnable hunt for applicability and advantage has indeed, generated so important pressures and conflict. therefore, for utmost developing republic of the Third World especially, Nigeria, electoral violence isn’t only a intermittent numeric, its frequence, character and dimension are relatively shocking. It’s now getting a public character of the Nigerian state in such a way that both the Nigerian state and her citizens are held hostage by this smashing political reality in which both are unfortunate willing conspirators. From independence to date, electoral violence in Nigeria has bettered in sophistry just as the politicians and their cohorts have remained bent in this destructive enterprise. According to IFES Reports( 2007), there were 967 incidents of electoral violence in the 2007 choices. Cases of hijacking and hijacking , murder and killing kick, dislocation, intimidation and physical attack and well as bill defacing all featured in the incidents. 300 people were killed on issues relating to 2007 choices. Deadly election- related and collaborative violence in northern Nigeria following the April 2011 Presidential voting left further than 800 people dead( Human Rights Watch( 2011). With the benefit of hindsight and after a pain- staking exploration, CLEEN Foundation, in its ‘ Third Security trouble Assessment ’, projected that electoral violence is most likely to do in 15 Nigerian most unpredictable and high security threat countries during the 2015 general choices( CLEEN in Ibe, 2014). Interestingly, all the violence linked to choices is substantially executed by the youth who aren’t only in the service of the politicians but financed by them so long as they do their biddings. With the benefits of their vigour, acting lawlessness and languorous station to the Nigeria Project, the youth are willing ready- made munitions in the hands of the political leaders who suppose lower of the development of the state and further of their provincial interests. Little wonder why the intermittent destruction of the state through electoral violence is of lower concern to them. Electoral violence could be regarded as choices- motivated- extremity employed to alter, change or impact by force or compulsion, the electoral geste of choosers or advancing patterns or conceivably reverse electoral decision in favour of particular individual, groups or political party. It could be seen as any violence( detriment) or trouble of violence( detriment) that’s aimed at any person or property involved in the election process, or at dismembering any part of the electoral or political process during the election period ”( International Foundation for Election Systems, 2011). Electoral violence could be before the election, therefore involving all similar conditioning that induce any form of injury to the popular system and its constituent and could be during namer enrollments , juggernauts and factual voting. similar violence could also be apost-election miracle which comes consequent on the manipulation of election results, rejection of results, etc. Election- related violence according to Ladan( 2006) could be categorised into physical and cerebral. Physical election violence including physical attack, performing into assault, battery, grievous fleshly detriment or death, dislocation and other crusade, use of vituperative language and other forms of violence foisted on individualities and groups. Cerebral election violence, including magpie pasting of crusade bills, chanting taglines( particularly the use of original muses and vocalizers to attack and abuse opponents), intimidation of public retainers and businessmen for opposing the status quo or the peremptory administration, use of the media( especially state- possessed) to induce cerebral violence on the opposition and the denial of access to similar media by the opposition parties, reckless driving by those in a procession to crusade rallies, which blackjack other road druggies and the use of traditional sovereign to blackjack the millions into taking particular favored campaigners. Conceptually, one is bothered by the prevailing brutish station of the Nigerian politicians who go all out for power with all the magazines within their reach. This could be positioned in the power analysis which sees the struggle for power as harmonious, patient and a desideratum. The struggle for power thus, remains a battle for the strong and like in every war situation, nothing is spared. The situation isn’t helped by the Nigerian situation where wielders of political power aren’t only above the law, but spoil state storeroom without compunctions. They also allocate state coffers as they want and move around unbounded as supernaturals. This really serves as provocation to violent political behaviours because political office must be won at all cost. The prevailing Nigerian political culture isn’t helping matters as well.
Statement of Problem
Nigeria joined the harmony of democratically governed countries, it has continued to witness an unknown rise in political violence ranging from increases crime surge, fortified thievery, political assassination, and religious screams. The grave political development extremity has generated a growing body of analyses and conventions on what has gone wrong and what should be done( Gideons, 2010). The dominant beaches of logical expositions have appeared that prominent in the political and intellectual circle, giving rise to diametrically oppressed interrogation of the injection of electoral violence in Nigeria’s political division.
Ideal of Study
The general ideal of the study is electoral violence in Nigeria the case of Anambra state gubernatorial choices. Specifically, the study will be guided under the following;
History Of Electoral Violence In Nigeria
ii. Electoral Violence During Governorship choices In Anambra State
iii. Factors Responsible For Electoral Violence During Governorship Election In Anambra State
Significance of Study
It’s believed that at the completion of the study, the findings of this study will be of great benefit in upgrading the imminence of electoral violence in Anambra state, the study will also be of great significance to the care givers and parents on the need to educate their children on the nemesis of electoral violence,
The study will also be of great significance to the department of political wisdom as the findings of this study will contribute to the pool of being literature in the subject matter.
The study will be significant to the academic community as it’ll contribute to the being literature.
Compass of Study
This study will examine history of electoral violence in Nigeria. The study will also probe electoral violence during guardianship choices in Anambra State. Incipiently, the study will find out factors responsible for electoral violence during guardianship election in Anambra state. Hence this study will be demarcated to Anambra state.
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