Essays present critical analysis and debate on a pressing issue in African peacebuilding.
Why did INEC not anticipate the challenges facing the long-scheduled elections in advance and respond proactively to avoid a last-minute postponement? Its failure to do so suggests an avoidable lapse in judgment and an inability to read the situation accurately.
This article explores the implications—for democracy, peace, and security—of the postponement of Nigeria’s 2019 elections, initially set for February 16 (presidential and national assembly) and March 2 (governor and state assembly). Both elections have now been rescheduled to February 23 and March 11, respectively. Nigeria’s electoral history is replete with poll postponements since the military […]
By 2:30 am in the morning of February 16, 2019, less than six hours before the polls were scheduled to open, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, announced the postponement of presidential and national assembly elections citing logistical and operational problems. Predictably, INEC’s decision was widely condemned by Nigerians who […]
At about 2:30 am on February 16, 2019, five hours before the polls were due to open, the chairman of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, announced in a press release that Nigeria’s general elections had been rescheduled to February 23, with state elections moved to March 9. At a stakeholders meeting later that […]
In the run-up to the hotly contested elections, the political atmosphere has been charged by intense party campaigns, sporadic incidents of political violence, and rising expectations. Political tensions are also being fueled by the high stakes of the presidential election.
Apart from being denied their right to peace and security, some IDPs face the risk of also being disenfranchised.
Gender inequality manifests in Nigeria’s politicosphere as a deeply held belief by many, including some women, that men are superior to women and leadership is a man’s business.
Compared to past elections it would appear that the 2019 election has received less attention from the international community.
In Nigeria, incidents of violence are due to the zero-sum approach to political competition and the militarization of elections.
Several groups have appealed to the government and politicians not to make pronouncements or take actions that may escalate existing political tensions.
