ELECTION VIOLENCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF DEMOCRACY IN NIGERIA (1999-2019).

ABSTRACT

The study has examined the effect of electoral violence in Nigeria from 1999 to 2015.  The study revealed that extent of electoral violence in Nigeria, causes of electoral violence. The study also identified the various types of electoral violence and the effect of electoral violence in Nigeria. The study showed that electoral violence is a common feature of elections in Nigerian. The election which is seen as the integral part of a democratic process that unable the citizen to determine who govern there has been has been characterized by violence, it could be said that electoral violence in Nigeria has existed in Nigeria in various ways ranging from looking, arson, thuggery, kidnapping etc. electoral violence as it were in Nigeria could be said to have existed in two dimension which included pre-electoral violence which normally occur prior to the election mostly during the campaign, rally and conferences of different political parties, also this electoral violence also exist in post-election which normally occur after the election has been conducted and sometimes this normally occur when the election outcome is not favourable to some of the political parties, it would be an avenue to foster and unleash terror in the civilians and government of a given country mostly their opponents.