Structural Drivers and Democratic Consequences of Political Violence in Nigeria: A Systematic Literature Review
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Date
2025-12-13
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Publisher
Nexus International University (NIU) Journal of Social Sciences
Abstract
Political violence remains a central
threat to democratic stability in Nigeria since
the return to civil rule in 1999. It manifests
through voter intimidation, armed thuggery,
ballot snatching, targeted assassinations,
sectarian mobilization, and institutional
manipulation. This systematic literature review
synthesizes empirical evidence and theoretical
contributions across political science,
governance, and security studies to identify the
structural drivers and democratic consequences
of political violence in Nigeria. Data were
derived from peer-reviewed journals, policy
documents, books, and institutional reports
published between 1999 and 2024, selected
based on methodological rigor and thematic
relevance. Findings reveal that political
violence in Nigeria is driven by entrenched
poverty, mass youth unemployment,
corruption, prebendal political culture, weak
state institutions, identity politics, and an
entrenched “sit-tight” elite behavior. Political
violence undermines democratic consolidation
by reducing voter turnout, distorting electoral
outcomes, weakening governance institutions,
and enabling the emergence of incompetent
leadership. The study concludes that political
violence in Nigeria is a systemic governance
challenge, not an episodic event, and proposes
multidimensional reforms involving
institutional strengthening, electoral
governance reforms, peacebuilding, youth
empowerment, and civic reorientation.
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Citation
NIU Journal of Social Scienceshttps://doi.org/10.58709/niujss.v11i4.2330