African Journal of
History and Culture

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Hist. Cult.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 2141-6672
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJHC
  • Start Year: 2009
  • Published Articles: 196

Article in Press

Trapped in Vicious Cycles of Electoral Violence: The Trend and Praxis in Nigeria’s Democratic Culture, 1963 - 2019

Uzoma Samuel Osuala

  •  Received: 14 May 2020
  •  Accepted: 01 July 2020
The unprecedented spate of electoral violence and political killings in Nigeria, especially since the Fourth Republic is best described as the Hobbesian state of nature of man where life is said to be solitary, poor, brutish and short. Hobbes encapsulated this in the Latin words: bellum omnium contra omnes (war of all against all). In an attempt to avoid such scenarios, the institutions of governance evolved through electoral process. However, this seemed to be the converse given the nature and cycles of electoral violence in Nigeria since 1963. Thus, those Latin words could be best used to describe the trend and praxis of political brigandage in Nigeria’s democratic culture. The paper examines these developments. The approach is historical, it employs content analysis of data and issues are thematically presented in chronological order. Primary and secondary sources constitute data collection.

Keywords: Vicious Cycles, Election, Violence, Democracy, Nigeria