The Role Of Foreign Election Observers In Democratic Elections In Nigeria

The Role Of Foreign Election Observers In Democratic Elections In Nigeria

Abstract

This paper is about the part of foreign election spectators in popular choices in Nigeria a case study of the 2015 presidential choices. The conduct of the 2015 Presidential election in Nigeria recorded mixed issues. Although fears that Election Day would be marred by serious violence were palliated to a large extent, some cases of specialized terms, vote buying and other forms of electoral manipulations were recorded in some corridor. still, these electoral terms weren’t sufficient to alter the anticipated outgrowth of the election. For the first time in Nigeria’s political history, an peremptory chairman lost power in a general election. Has Nigeria’s republic consolidated satisfactorily? The burden of this paper is to examine the circles of the 2015 presidential election counting on both qualitative and quantitative styles of exploration. The paper concludes that much has to be done if Nigeria’s republic is to gauge the alternate turn- over test Huntington establishes as the bench mark which if a new republic survives two successions of power, also it has consolidated satisfactorily. By all indicators, the election was arbitrated free and fair, this important was attested to by transnational election monitoring brigades that covered the exercised and verified that despite many glitches, the exercise met with transnational stylish practice.

Chapter One

Preface

Nigeria’s politics right from the 90s are generally characterized by violence. It has always been a case that if a seeker loses, he and his party members will take to violence to palliate their dissatisfaction over the election results. The history( service) and present governments have contributed in encouraging this gratuitous means of replying to election results( Babatunde, 200754). From that time still date, choices in Nigeria are generally known for numerous irregularities and violence which have affected the profitable, social and political stability of the country.

choices encyclopedically are veritably important practice for both developed and developing country, as it serves as one of the means for sustainable development of a countries( Attahiru, 20115). It encourages the practice of republic, giving the citizens chance to share in the governance of their country.

Nigeria’s 2015 general election was an election that can noway be forgotten in the history of Nigeria. It was an election that left Nigerians in fear of what might be its possible outgrowth, as the terrain was really tensed. The absence of war after the 2015 general choices was a good sign that Nigeria will ever stand united, as there were numerous enterprises from transnational spectators and indeed from Nigerians that the outgrowth of the election might conceivably lead to war. These fears were veritably egregious 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 frugality of the country was under serious attack from the Boko Haram instability in the northern part of the country which could discourage choosers and eventually, it was crystal clear clear that the electoral body( INEC) was really unrehearsed as there were conspicuous setbacks in their conducts; coupled with the holdback of the election from 14th February to 28th March( Onapajo, 2015). Bearing the below points in mind, it was delicate for anyone to anticipate peaceful choices across the country that was why there were commentary from transnational spectators about the 2015 election. The 2015 general election was characterized with the opposition party taking over power from the peremptory chairman, which has noway happed in the history of Nigeria.

Over some decades now, transnational spectators have been witnessing choices in Africa and reporting to the global community on how it went in their host community( Obi and Abutudu, 199922). Election monitoring in Africa has gradationally been espoused by nearly all African countries as a way of strengthening their political processes( Geisla, 199356- 57). transnational spectators are generally seen as being objective and non-partisan, and this is why their presence is largely demanded in the assessment of the performance of the conditioning of a country during her election.

transnational spectators aren’t only seen in Africa during choices, but also other western countries of the world( mound, 199322- 23). transnational spectators include governmental andnon-governmental institutions like Economic Communities of West African States( ECOWAS), United Nations,etc.

The presence of transnational spectators has been witnessed during choices in Nigeria, and the last election which was held in 2015 wasn’t an impunity. According to INEC, 107 election spectators were accredited to cover the 2015 choices. exemplifications of the group includeInternational Republican Institute( IRI), theEuropean Union Election Observation Mission and National Democratic Institute( NDI). The leader of one of the groups, NDI to be precise reflected on how participatory Nigerians were in unchaining their rights; directly upholding the tenets of republic. He refocused some of the challenges faced during the election and prompted the necessary bodies ladened with fixing similar challenges to look into it. One of similar challenges was the one tied to the card anthology machine, as it was suitable to read some people’s card and in utmost cases the reverse was the case. This group inversely refocused out the setbacks caused by INEC in the delivery of election accoutrements to polling units on time( Andreassen 1993).

Another report from a different transnational group bystander, theEuropean Union Election Observation Mission reported that the 2015 choices were peaceful and the security labor force were at their stylish in icing that it was peaceful.

Nigeria, like utmost post independent African countries is mired in the extremity of under development. The extremity manifested itself in profitable, social and political terms. The nation’s politics has come characterized by a winner takes all station performing in violence, corruption, and the entertainment of what’s known or called antidevelopment politics. Agreed that service and consecutive mercenary administrations have contributed to this serious state of affairs, yet the geste of Nigerian politicians leaves much to be asked ( Babatunde, 200753). Indeed, it can be emphatically asserted that between1999- 2015, there has been an absence of the politics of applicability in Nigeria. That is, politics geared towards the development of the nation and enhancement in the material well- being of the generality of the people. This led to a clarion call for change rather of durability of the Peoples ’ Democracy Party that ruled the country for sixteen times. The change can only come about through free and fair election under the vigilant eyes of original and transnational spectators. The 2015 presidential election was veritably important because of the global ramification. It’s intriguing to know that choices which typically is a listed routine event in which citizens elect those who take opinions on their behalf, have come nearly the defining events in the Nigeria public life. That Is, choices in Nigeria moment are defined in terms similar as “ do or die ”, the “ prisoner ” of services by all means. Yet, this isn’t unique to Nigeria. Encyclopedically, choices have acquired an iconic character and choices have come one of the most visible occupations across the global vill( Attahru 20114) transnational election bystander’s criss- cross the world moment and decreasingly intergovernmental andnon-governmental associations are laboriously engaging in election conditioning.

The need to study the 2015 presidential election in Nigeria is important because of the position the country occupies in Africa and the interest and respect which the transnational community have for the state. Also, the need to ascertain whether the independent public electoral commission has bettered on the setbacks that passed during the last 2011 general choices. The 2011 election provoked massive wrathfulness, excoriations and allegation of electoral fraud of the pates. The study of 2015 the presidential election is veritably vital in the sense that, it’s proper to know whether the measures like card compendiums machines, endless choosers card, and motorized choosers registered list( streamlined) actually reduced the prevalence of electoral fraud in Nigeria. Also, to what extend the election was free and fair as well as conform to the transnational standard as arbitrated by the transnational spectators. Above all, the part, action and assists which the transnational spectators rendered toward the success or failure of the election( mound 1993).

This is why this study is carried out to find out the part of foreign electoral spectators on election credibility in Nigeria; with a near look at the recent 2015 choices.