An Appraisal of Nigeria’s Democratization in the Fourth Republic (1999-2010)

Abstract

The paper appraises democratization in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic. It reveals that the inherent weakness of the military guided transition programme in creating the necessary human, political and constitutional infrastructure accounts for the tragic failure of democratization in Nigeria. The failure is made manifest in the dysfunctional electoral system, regime of contempt for rule of law, lack of internal democracy in political parties, heightened state repression, manipulation of democratic institutions, rampaging primitive accumulation, pauperization of citizens, and ranking of Nigeria as 15^th most Failed Nation in the world. The paper contends that these manifestations are diametrically opposed to all known norms, values and principles of democratization. We conclude that sustained citizens’ activism for democratization is the only way out of the nation’s democratic quagmire.

Key words: Democratization, Democracy, Good Governance, Electoral System, Popular Participation,