Structural Drivers and Democratic Consequences of Political Violence in Nigeria: A Systematic Literature Review

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dc.contributor.authorRashida Adamu Oyoru
dc.contributor.authorLawal Yusuf Birisan
dc.contributor.authorTowoju Adedoyin John
dc.date.accessioned2026-04-21T12:12:02Z
dc.date.available2026-04-21T12:12:02Z
dc.date.issued2025-12-13
dc.description.abstractPolitical 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.
dc.identifier.citationNIU Journal of Social Scienceshttps://doi.org/10.58709/niujss.v11i4.2330
dc.identifier.issn3007-1682; 11(4) 197–203
dc.identifier.urihttps://kwasuspace.kwasu.edu.ng/handle/123456789/6646
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherNexus International University (NIU) Journal of Social Sciences
dc.titleStructural Drivers and Democratic Consequences of Political Violence in Nigeria: A Systematic Literature Review
dc.typeArticle
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