Open AccessUnderstanding the Causes of Electoral and Political Violence in Ekiti State, Nigeria: 2007-2010
Author(s) -
Lateef Oluwafemi Buhari
Publication year - 2021
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.32370/ia_2021_03_17
Subject(s) - polity , litmus , state (computer science) , politics , competition (biology) , political economy , political science , power (physics) , political stability , political violence , development economics , criminology , sociology , law , economics , ecology , chemistry , physics , algorithm , quantum mechanics , computer science , biology
All over the world, elections are the litmus test of democracies. They also serve to consolidate political stability in a given polity just as they have the propensity to engender conflict and violence. Though there is usually competition over the control of the machineries of power, the turning point of that competition into violence becomes imperative in discerning the causes, both remote and immediate of such violence. In the light of the above, this paper notes the volatile nature of elections in Nigeria at large and Ekiti State in particular between 2007 and 2010. It examines plethora of factors leading to electoral fraud and political violence in the state. It further analyses the role of various stakeholders in political violence in the state.