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Winner-takes-all Majoritarian System and Irregularities in Six Election Cycles in Nigeria, 1999 – 2019

Article scientifique 2023 Anglais

Résumé

The argument that Nigerian elections are characterized by electoral irregularities since the commencement of present democratic engagement in 1999 has not been sufficiently subjected to an analytical procedure to embrace the six Nigerian election cycles. Thus, the study investigated this unsettled question to provide insights into how the recurring incidence of irregularities has dominated Nigerian election seasons within the period under review. It situated the problem within the context of the winner-takes-all majoritarian electoral system (MES) and queried the adoption of the MES-driven model, implemented in an environment of do-or-die politics and the 'glorification' of clandestine electoral strategies. It further argued that the model reinforced the use of these strategies by politicians to increase their odds of victory without considering their detrimental consequences. The examination of available documents revealed that the model is consistently implicated in the electoral irregularities that characterized Nigerian elections. It further discovered that the model promoted the crude perception of politics as a zero-sum contest. The present deplorable state of democracy in Nigeria is a function of irregularities and their consequential composites: life-taking elections, election disputes, and voter apathy. These suggest the need for a thorough electoral reform that will throw up a digitally secured electoral system that will be implemented to reflect the various shades of multiethnic cultural Nigerian society. To reduce tension during elections and encourage inclusivity in Nigeria, the reform should be able to institutionalize the electoral commission, check government interference in its activities, reduce the present huge election spending, ensure proportional distribution of votes and positions, and make public offices less financially attractive.

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Abada, I., Mbah, P., Obiagu, U., Udeh, C., Omeh, P., Odey, O., Chukwu, C. (2023). Winner-takes-all Majoritarian System and Irregularities in Six Election Cycles in Nigeria, 1999 – 2019. https://doi.org/10.32388/pq68sb

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Auteur(s)

Ifeanyichukwu M. Abada Peter O. Mbah Uchenna C. Obiagu Celestine O. Udeh Paul Hezekiah Omeh Odey Clarence Odey Chukwuemeka Quentin Chukwu

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