ABSTRACT
This study evaluated credible electoral process, challenges
and good governance in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State. The
study examined the electoral process in Nigeria from 1999-2019, assessed the
attributes of credible electoral process in Isoko L.G.A of Delta State, the
contributions of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in
ensuring credible elections in Nigeria from 1999-2019, the impact of credible
electoral process on good governance in Isoko L.G.A of Delta State, the factors
militating against credible electoral process in Isoko South L.G.A of Delta
State from 1999-2019, and examined the relationship between credible electoral
process and good governance in Isoko South L.G.A of Delta State. A total of 150
copies of the questionnaires were administered to the respondents in the study
area of which
appropriate statistical tool was used to analyze the data collected. The
research questions designed to guide this study were also answered and the
hypothesis tested accordingly. The
result of the findings showed that: there is significant relationship between
credible election and good governance in Nigeria; there is significant
relationship between credible electoral process and good governance in Nigeria;
and credible electoral process has positive impact on good governance in Isoko
L.G.A of Delta State. The study concluded that the Independent National
Election (INEC) have played any significant role in ensuring credible elections
in Nigeria from 1999-2019. The study recommended some remedies for credible
elections, good governance and conflict free society such as review of the
structure, compositions, operations and funding of Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) so that it can be autonomous.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE - - - - - - - ii
DECLARATION - - - - - - - - iii
CERTIFICATION - - - - - - - - iv
DEDICATION - - - - - - - - v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS - - - - - - vi
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
to the Study
1.2
Statement of the Problem
1.3
Purpose of the Study
1.4
Research Questions
1.5
Research Hypotheses
1.6 Significance
of the Study
1.7 Scope
and Limitation of the Study
1.8 Operational
Definition of Terms
CHAPTER
TWO
LITERATURE
REVIEW
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Conceptual Clarification of Credible
Electoral Process
2.3 Electoral
System in Nigeria
2.4 Comparison
of Electoral Systems
2.5 Electoral
Process in Nigeria
2.6 Credible
Elections and Good Governance in Nigeria
2.7 Rules
and Regulations in Electoral Process
2.8 Impact
of the Elections on Governance
2.9 Impact
of the Elections on the Democratisation Process
2.10 Electoral
Process and Good Governance
2.11 Democracy
and Credible Election
2.12
Concept of Good Governance
CHAPTER
THREE
RESEARCH
METHODS
3.1 Research
Design
3.2 Population
of the Study
3.3 Sample and Sampling Techniques
3.4 Research
Instrument
3.5 Validity
of Research Instrument
3.6 Reliability
of Research Instrument
3.7 Method of Data Collection
3.6 Methods of Data Analysis
CHAPTER
FOUR
DATA
PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
4.1 Data
Presentation and Analysis
4.2
Respondents Profile
4.3 Analysis
of Research Questions
4.4 Testing
of Hypotheses
4.5 Discussion
of Findings
CHAPTER
FIVE
SUMMARY
OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Summary
of Findings
5.2 Conclusion
5.3 Recommendations
References
Appendix: Research Questionnaire
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Over
the years, elections in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State have
been strongly influenced by political will leading to violence both during and
after elections. Credible electoral process in Isoko region especially in Oleh
has been hijacked in recent times for political gain. However, INEC in all odds
have constantly made efforts to conduct a free and fair election even when the
atmosphere is always tensed. As observed by Oreva (2021), since the inception
of the Nigerian democratic process where leaders have to be elected into
various positions by the electorates, there have been challenges posed by
ensuring credible electoral processes so as to enhance good governance. This is
because elections in Isoko North have been greatly influenced by the ruling party.
The ruling party do everything possible to make sure their candidates is
declared winner of the election without considering the dyer effects on the
electorates.
In
the pursuit for good governance Oke (2021) after witnessing the 2019 held
election across the federation and the just concluded Local Government election
held across the 25 Local Government Areas of Delta State (Isoko South
inclusive) advised that, to ensure good governance, there is need for all
political sectors to embrace electoral reforms which will give room for
credible electoral process thereby ushering free and fair election in the
political system where leaders are chosen based on simple majority vote and not
selection of favourite candidates. Just recently, after observing the electoral
processes in the just conducted House of Assembly re-run election in Isoko,
Omugbe (2021) opined that allowing electorates (voters) to vote and later
turning things upside down is the height of betrayed that must be resisted if
credible electoral process is to be achieved in Isoko region. According to
Oreva (2021), voters' education has been acknowledged as a means of sanitizing
as well as educating citizens on democratic principles. He observed that, the
just concluded 2019 elections were visibly marred by violence, vote buying,
logistics and operational debacles and massive rigging.
Elections
could be seen as institutionalized procedures for the choosing of office
holders by some or all the recognized members of a society. So an electoral
system exists to provide the electorate with opportunity and the right to
choose their representatives and maintain contact with them. Hence, for an
electoral system to be democratic, it must provide for equal electorate and the
freedom of the electorates to make a real and meaningful choice devoid of
coercion or intimidation (Eminue, 2015). In effect, 'election would be deemed
to be democratic-and hence good if it is free and fair and not based on
patronage of any kind'. Therefore, elections in Isoko South L.G.A though seen
as a means of controlling the government; within context of electorate’s
participation reveal a rather disturbing 'state’ that has called for serious
concern. Mezu (2017) noted that, indeed the Nigerian electoral process since
independence has gained an unenviable reputation for fraudulent practices
(Duru, 2012). This situation has forced many to see elections in Isoko South
L.G.A as a mirage or a mere 'selection'; selection in the sense that the
electorates are left out of the entire system, owing to the fact that elections
are conducted with or without the full participation of the electorates, who
are supposed to choose those who rule over them. The organization of elections
in Isoko South L.G.A have often been carried out without due involvement of the
people. The system operates in a way that suggests a total disregard and
misapplication of democratic ethos. Thus, the outcome has always been
manipulated in favour of candidates of the powerful few. This is unfair and
shameful, given the democratic system we opted for. It better telling the
people that the leaders would be 'selected' so that they would not bother to
queue up in the scorching sun.
According
to Onu (2015), since 1999, elections in Isoko South Local Government Area of
Delta State have continued to recycle in a vicious violent and unimaginable
manipulation especially from the political elites. This has attracted the
attention of local and international community (Suberu, 2017). The challenges
in restructuring the seemingly unbalanced electoral process in Nigeria from
transiting power from ruling party to opposition parties peacefully has
relegated good governance to the back pew (Rakner and Svasand, 2012). The
history of elections in Nigerian state has been characterized by threats to statehood
based on the manipulation of ethnicity as divisive mechanism for the
acquisition of political power by political actors, the fragile nature of
political cum democratic institutions is acquainted with poor democratic
culture among Nigerian citizen (Omodia and Egwemi, 2011).
The
electoral process is an ideal and integral part of the democratic process,
whether in developed or developing societies. A mal-functioning of electoral
system inadvertently produces mal-administration. The mal-functioning of electoral
system is caused by bad leadership and political instability. Candidates for
public office may be elected directly or indirectly. Proportional
representation is used in some areas to ensure a fairer distribution of
legislative seats to constituencies that may be denied representation under the
plurality or majority formulas (Chisholm, 2019). Following the transition from
military dictatorship to democracy, the Nigerian-state has suffered several
electoral misconducts since 1999. In an attempt to stop this ugly trend,
voters' education and effective electoral institution remain integral to a
successful conduct of the electoral process especially, in a bid to grow and
sustain the democratic process in Nigeria.
Credible
elections are indispensable to the establishment and maintenance of democracy.
This is because elections, inter alia, provide legitimation for the state and
its custodians. In developing countries such as Nigeria, elections have been
institutionalized for fostering competitive party politics, taking stock of the
performance of leaders at various levels of the polity-national, state,
regional, provincial, county and municipal and ensuring the smooth and orderly
transfer of the reins of power. Since the emergence of the “third wave of democratization”
in the 1990s, the transitional states of election in Nigeria have been
attempting to make democratic elections the cornerstone of their emerging
political democratization projects. These efforts have resulted in mixed
outcomes, with many states especially in Africa still grabbling over conduct of
free and fair elections. Several studies suggest that voting behavior in
Nigeria is predominantly influenced by some form of identity factor such as
ethnicity, family lineages, religion and other sundry factors. Substantial
evidence in literature supports the view that average Nigerian is primarily an
“identity” voter. In essence, voting in Africa is in many cases nothing more
than an ethnic census. An individual voter uses ethnicity as the proxy for the
expected benefits for voting for a particular candidate. Simply, voting in
Nigeria is considered to be largely dependent on primordial forms of
identification (Connor and Robertson, 2019).
Political
parties themselves tend to be dominated by ethnic power forces rather than
being built on ideological persuasion. Africans are members of two types of
political communities in the same temporal and spatial world. On the one hand,
they are members of their civic-republican community which is often their ethnic
or community group and to which they owe some obligations. At the same time,
they are members of the modern national state. Voters’ reflection on this dual
citizenship orientation undermines the democratization process as Africans
continue to show greater allegiance to their civic republican community.
Democracy is underpinned by three essential components: healthy competition
among political parties, political participation by the populace in electing
their leaders, and a credible electoral process. In a democracy, power and
significant decisions in a society is distributed among the population which is
carried out by the elected representatives of the people. Viable political
parties and credible elections are essential components of a democracy (Miranda
and Dieter, 2017). Electoral systems in civilized societies permit the
co-existence of different units, tribes, nations and diverse schools of
political ideologies and religious beliefs to live in peace and harmony by
surrendering their rights to the people they have elected to govern and manage
their resources for a given period of time. An effective democracy and
electoral system is founded upon the ability to hold free and fair elections,
independent and effective electoral umpire, effective policing, and
incorruptible and responsive judiciary.
Nigeria
has experienced a “horrific cycle of corrupt, inept and despotic civilian and
pseudo-civilian rules”. The reason is not far-fetched. The Nigerian political
leadership came to power through flawed electoral systems that are always
marred by poor organization, lack of transparency, widespread procedural
irregularities, and significant evidence of fraud, banditry, and unequal
playing field. Other vices commonly experienced in the Nigerian electoral
process include unjust disqualification of candidates, stealing of data
capturing machines, politically bias police and until recently a biased umpire,
INEC. Elections in essence are institutionalized processes by which the
electorates choose those who will represent them in government and exercise the
authority and power of government (Charles, 2014).
In
every democratic system of government the like of which is being practiced or
operate din Nigeria, elections represent institutionalized procedures for the
choosing of persons who should occupy and exercise political power and
authority by some or all the recognized citizens of the country as legally
competent to participate in the electoral process. The purpose of an electoral
system is to provide the electorates of any given democratic state the
opportunity to choose their representatives and maintain contact with them. Not
just equally opportunity to choose, it must also give the electorates freedom
to make real and meaningful choices devoid of coercion of intimidation (Eminue,
2012, cited in Beetsen, 2012).
Election
in essence is a democratic process of putting people into positions of control
of the nation's resources for the good of the entire nation. It is only when
the right persons are put into positions of authority via a democratic
electoral process that one could hope of getting good governance in return. An
electoral process is, said to be democratic only when it is free, fair and
credible right from the registration of voters all through the collation and declaration
of results of the election. A free fair and credible electoral process is a
significant pre-requisite towards the attainment of good government in a
democratic system of government. Studies have shown that less attention has
been directed towards examining credible electoral process especially relating
it to its challenges and proffering solution for a free and fair election. It
is against this background that this present study is conducted to evaluate
credible electoral process, challenges and good governance in Isoko South Local
Government Area of Delta State.
1.2 Statement
of the Problem
The
electoral process in Isoko South L.G.A has suffered and is still suffering from
the malaise of a monetized polity making politics and governance sure short-cuts
to becoming billionaire overnight. The electoral processes of past elections in
Nigeria have been bedeviled by all forms of electoral malpractices, rigging,
electoral violence, manipulations, intimidation, and irregularities among
others. Thus the dream of a free, fair and credible election that will usher in
men and women with requisite credentials of integrity, transparency,
accountability, equity and credibility, towards good governance in Nigeria
remains a mirage. Given the monetized
polity of Nigeria most especially Isoko South L.G.A, INEC lacks the wherewithal
to conduct a free, fair and credibility election comes 2015 in the face of this
monster monetized presidential system of government. The Nigeria presidential
system of government should be demonetized so that only men and women with
genuine heart of servant hood could emerge via credible electoral process for
the purpose of good governance. This study therefore seeks to address the
aforementioned problems as it affects credible election in Isoko South L.G.A of
Delta State.
1.3 Purpose
of the Study
The
purpose of this study is to examine credible electoral process, challenges and
good governance in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State. However,
the specific purpose is to;
i.
examine the electoral
process in Nigeria from 1999-2019
ii.
assess the attributes of
credible electoral process in Isoko L.G.A of Delta State.
iii.
assess the contributions
of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in ensuring credible
elections in Nigeria from 1999-2019
iv.
examine the impact of
credible electoral process on good governance in Isoko L.G.A of Delta State.
v.
examine the factors
militating against credible electoral process in Isoko South L.G.A of Delta
State from 1999-2019.
vi.
examine the relationship
between credible electoral process and good governance in Isoko South L.G.A of
Delta State.
1.4 Research
Questions
i.
To what extent the
electoral process in Nigeria has failed from 1999-2019?
ii.
What are the attributes
of credible electoral process in Isoko L.G.A of Delta State?
iii.
Has INEC contributed
immensely in ensuring credible elections in Nigeria from 1999-2019?
iv.
Does credible electoral
process have positive impact on good governance in Isoko L.G.A of Delta State?
v.
Are there noticeable
factors militating against credible electoral process in Isoko South L.G.A of
Delta State from 1999-2019?
vi.
Is there any relationship
between credible electoral process and good governance in Isoko South L.G.A of
Delta State?
1.5 Research
Hypotheses
The
following hypotheses stated in the null form will be tested in this study;
i.
There is no significant
relationship between credible election and good governance in Nigeria.
ii.
There is no significant
relationship between credible electoral process and good governance in Nigeria.
iii.
Credible electoral
process has no positive impact on good governance in Isoko L.G.A of Delta
State.
iv.
The Independent National
Election (INEC) have not played any significant role in ensuring credible
elections in Nigeria from 1999-2019.
1.6 Significance of the Study
This
research work will be of immense help to the Federal, State and Local
Government, Political Analysts/experts, educational professionals,
educationists, and all those involved in electoral processes as well as
academicians and the general public on the need to take a critical look at
credible electoral process, challenges and good governance in Isoko South Local
Government Area of Delta State. This study calls for the need of inculcating
credible, free and fair election as a compulsory tool for good governance which
will foster better standard of living in Nigerian society at large.
The
findings of this study will be of great important to the Nigeria youths, the
Nigeria government, political industries, and academicians to include many
others. The findings will be of immense use to the youth, for it enlightens
them on the need to sue electoral violence and social vices.
The
study will also be of immense benefit towards the analysis of factors that will
enhance credible electoral process in Isoko South Local Government Area of
Delta State by properly assessing the importance of credible electoral process
in achieving good governance in Isoko South L.G.A of Delta State. This study
will also be of immense benefit to students, researchers and scholars who are
interested in developing further studies on the subject matter.
1.7 Scope and Limitation of the Study
The
study is on credible electoral process, challenges and good governance in
Nigeria. some of the variables to be addressed are; electoral violence, ballot
box snatching, rigging and general manipulation of election results.
However,
the study is delimited to Isoko South Local Government Area, Delta State. Isoko
South Local Government Area has twenty (20) electoral wards at the State level,
but there are actually ten (11) electoral wards recognized by INEC.
1.8 Operational Definition of Terms
The
following key terms as applicable to this study area defined as used;
Ballot box snatching:
This refers to the forceful seizure or snatching of the temporarily sealed
container to prevent anyone from casting his or her votes.
Challenges:
This refers to the difficulties or inability of electoral bodies to allow
electorates participate freely in an election due to electoral malpractice or a
competitive situation or fight to decide who wins an election in terms of
ability or strength.
Credible electoral
process: Credible electoral process
are characterized by conclusiveness, transparency, accountability, and
competitiveness of elections conducted.
Credible:
This refers to the act of capability of persuading electorates that the party
candidates are the best and will deliver when elected. In terms of election, it
refers to the process of organizing a successful election.
Democracy:
This refers to a system of government by the whole population or all the
eligible members of a state, typically through elected representation.
Election results: This
refers to the declaration of election winner through the results announced.
Election:
This refers to the formal process of selecting a person for public office or of
accepting or rejecting a political proposition by voting.
Electoral process:
An electoral proves is a set of rules that determine how elections and
referendums are conducted and how their results are determined.
Electoral rigging: This
refers to the act of manipulating election results which involves illegal
interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote
share of a favoured candidate, depressing the vote share of rival candidates,
or both.
Electoral violence: This
refers to the behaviour involving
physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone during election.
Good governance:
This refers to the way in which public institutions conduct public affairs and
manage public resources in a preferred way.
Politics:
This refers to the way in which we understand and order our social affairs, and
acquire greater control over the situation.
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