EVALUATING THE DEMOCRATIC JOURNEY TO BIRTH A NEW NIGERIA: AN INQUEST INTO THE ROLE OF INDEPENDENT NATIONAL ELECTORAL COMMISSION (INEC) UNDER PROF. MAHMOOD YAKUBU

Abstract

The journey towards a new democratic Nigeria has been a tortuous one filled with landmines resulting from both centripetal and centrifugal forces. However, Nigeria’s present democratization process, which is subsumed in the Fourth Republic from May 29, 1999, till date, started amidst great hopes and rising expectations. Despite the initial apprehension by some proportion of the citizens on its success, a significant majority still believed it could herald the dawn of good governance in the country. Disturbingly, twenty-four years down the line the political landscape is yet to show clear evidences of sustainability despite the series of general elections rituals every four years. Evidently, elections and electoral processes are subverted and political parties and other important public institutions manipulated in favor of the privileged elite class. This study is an attempt at evaluating democratic journey to birthing a new Nigeria with focus on INEC’s role under the headship of Mahmood Yakubu from 2015 to 2023. The paper highlighted the probable sources and dimensions of the impediments confronting the electoral process and democratic desires of the Nigerian people and options for realizing the aspiration for a new Nigeria. The research methodology is both descriptive and analytical, while the theoretical framework is structural functionalism. The study suggests that INEC as an institution in Nigeria need to be strengthened in terms its independence for democracy to thrive. It is noted that although the role of leaders or “who” is in charge cannot be underestimated, the “how” should be emphasized