Thesis Abstract

Abstract
The electoral process plays a crucial role in shaping the national security landscape of countries around the world. This research project focuses on Nigeria, specifically examining the relationship between the electoral process and national security during the 2011 and 2015 elections. By conducting a comparative analysis of these two election cycles, this study aims to provide insights into how the electoral process can impact national security dynamics in a developing country context. The 2011 and 2015 elections in Nigeria were significant milestones in the country's democratic journey, characterized by both progress and challenges. These elections were marked by violence, electoral fraud, and security concerns, highlighting the complex interplay between the electoral process and national security. By comparing the two election cycles, this research project seeks to identify patterns, trends, and lessons learned that can inform future electoral reforms and security measures in Nigeria. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study will analyze primary and secondary data sources to assess the impact of the electoral process on various dimensions of national security, including political stability, social cohesion, and economic development. The research will examine the role of electoral institutions, political actors, and external stakeholders in influencing the security environment before, during, and after the elections. Through in-depth interviews, surveys, and content analysis, this research project will explore the perceptions, experiences, and behaviors of key stakeholders involved in the electoral process, including political parties, security agencies, civil society organizations, and the general public. By capturing diverse perspectives and voices, this study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the complex dynamics at play during election periods in Nigeria. The findings of this research project are expected to contribute to academic scholarship on the intersection of electoral politics and national security in developing countries. Furthermore, the insights generated from this study can offer practical recommendations for policymakers, electoral management bodies, and security agencies to enhance the integrity, transparency, and security of future elections in Nigeria and similar contexts. Ultimately, this research project seeks to advance knowledge and promote informed decision-making on the critical issues of democracy, security, and governance in Nigeria and beyond.

Thesis Overview

INTRODUCTION
1.1   BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Election is an integral part of a democratic process that enables the citizenry determine fairly and freely who should lead them at every level of government periodically and take decisions that shape their socio-economic and political destiny; and in case they falter, still possess the power to recall them or vote them out in the next election. This was Obakhedo, (2011) aptly defined election thus: Election is a major instrument for the recruitment of political leadership in democratic societies; the key to participation in a democracy; and the way of giving consent to government (Dye, 2001); and allowing the governed to choose and pass judgment on office holders who theoretically represent the governed Obakhedo, (2011).

In its strictest sense, there can never be a democracy without election. Huntington is however quick to point out that, a political system is democratic ‘to the extent that its most powerful collective decision-makers are selected through fair, honest and periodic elections in which candidates freely compete for votes, and in which virtually all the adult population is eligible to vote’ (Huntington, 1991). In its proper sense, election is a process of selecting the officers or representatives of an organization or group by the vote of its qualified members (Nwolise, 2007). Anifowose (2003) defined elections as the process of elite selection by the mass of the population in any given political system, Bamgbose (2012).

Elections provide the medium by which the different interest groups within the bourgeois nation state can stake and resolve their claims to power through peaceful means (Iyayi, 2005). Elections therefore determine the rightful way of ensuring that responsible leaders take over the mantle of power. An election itself is a procedure by which the electorate, or part of it, choose the people who hold public office and exercise some degree of control over the elected officials. It is the process by which the people select and control their representatives. The implication of this is that without election, there can be no representative government.