Electoral Violence and 2015 General Elections in Nigeria: A Focus on the Ramifications of Political Developments in Ebonyi State

Abstract

The phenomenon of electoral violence has been recognized as one of the major challenges confronting Nigerian democracy. These challenges, indeed, have become disturbing notoriety to Nigerian government and humanity in the 21^st century world. What seems to be more worrisome is the staggering posture it has assumed in recent times. The phenomenon has continued to be pervasive to the extent that it is utopian to speak or contemplate of a nation, which was enveloped for many decades by the military. The extent of its pervasiveness as demonstrated in the 2015 general elections aroused the interest and focus of this paper. Essentially, the concomitant effect of the electoral violence is that Nigeria’s democracy is still being questioned and even threatened 100 years after unification and 54 years after independence. Against this back group, the aim of this paper therefore, is to delve into the dimensions, forms, nature and character of electoral violence in the 2015 general elections in Nigeria with particular attention to Ebonyi state, highlighting and assessing the ramifications of political development and its attendant consequences in Nigerian democracy. In doing this, a critical examination of the forms and postures of electoral violence in Ebonyi State becomes imperative. This session is therefore, designed and tailored towards a panoramic and critical analysis of electoral violence in the 2015 general elections with focus on Ebonyi State.

Keywords: Electoral violence, election, Political Development, Democracy, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.