Curbing Electoral Violence in Nigeria: The Imperative of Political Education

Abstract

Both domestic and international political sociologists based on empirical
investigations argue that the greatest obstacle to democratic consolidation in
Nigeria is electoral violence. This is as a result of the rascal politics that the
political elites engage in. Sometimes, the violence is intra-party, and most of
the time, it is inter-party. Apart from that the fact that this phenomenon
affects the credibility of the electoral system, the democratic system and the
rule of law, the nature, extent and magnitude of violence and rigging
associated with elections in Nigeria had assumed alarming proportions that
necessitates intellectual excursion to the realm of possible solutions.
Education has been discovered to be a major strategy and weapon to curbing
this democratic impediment. To this end, this paper examines the imperative
of political education in curbing this ugly trend if the nation is to enthrone
enduring and sustainable democratic order that would be a delight to behold.

Keywords: Election; Electoral Violence; Political Violence