Consolidation of Democracy in West Africa: Case Study of Nigeria’s Electoral Institutions

In the past three decades, West Africa, like other regions of Anita, has undergone unprecedented changes in relation to democratic process. Between 1980s and 1990s, discussions and commentaries on democratic process in Africa were dominated by the controversy over the respective influence of external and internal factors that triggered this historical phenomena Almost three decades after the end of the Cold War, the state of democracy in West Africa could be best described through the metaphor of a glass half full or empty. Nigeria so far has experienced two decades of uninterrupted democracy and democratic transition from a military regime to democratic regime from 1999 to date. However, history of failed election, has eroded public confidence in the electoral institutions, a challenge that antagonizes Nigeria's democracy and has contributed to the country's democratic regression. This study was designed to examine the roles of the electoral institution, in consolidating democracy in West Africa. (A Case Study of Nigeria electoral institution). As it is, democracy in Africa faces the risk of being trapped in the electoral fallacy. Regular elections take place, but the democratic franchise has not become sufficiently diffused and entrenched as a mode of governance across political and social institutions. Therefore. it becomes interesting to examine the role of electoral institutions in consolidating and deepening democracy in Nigeria the study, therefore, employed a phenomenological research deign which has the formed pattern of a qualitative research strategy. The study finds out that the effort to consolidate democracy continues to be severely constrained by factors such as election rigging, violence, lack of respect for rule of law and lack of autonomy and independent of electoral bodies.