Garrison’ Democracy in Nigeria

The 2007 General Elections and the Prospects of Democratic Consolidation

Bibliographic Data

ID12676835
AuthorsJ Shola Omotola (0000-0002-4715-8273, Redeemer's University, corresponding author)
Year2009
Volume47
Issue2
Pages194-220
Publication date2009-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueCommonwealth and Comparative Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1466-2043 • E-ISSN: 1743-9094
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14662040902857800
OpenAlexW2037916267
LanguageEN
Citations received27
References cited21

This paper undertakes a critical analysis of the 2007 Nigerian general elections, with emphasis on the ‘garrison’ process and its implications for the consolidation of democracy. It is argued that garrisoned electoral processes represent a powerful source of democratic instability that can threaten the consolidation of democracy. The paper illustrates these processes and concludes that much, however, will depend on how ‘winners’ and ‘losers’ manage their successes and failures, respectively. The greatest threats to the consolidation of democracy in the aftermath of the garrisoned elections relate to the handling of post-election issues, especially election petitions, tribunals and court processes, by all stakeholders in the democratisation process. So far, these issues would appear largely to have been properly handled by all affected parties, raising hopes of the possibility of mitigating potential pitfalls. Sustained efforts are required both to ensure that these democratic gains endure and to avoid democratic regression that could potentially lead to military intervention

Consolidation (business · Democracy · Democratic consolidation · Democratization · Development economics · Economics · General election · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Law · Political Conflict and Governance · Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East · Public Administration · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence