African Journal of Law, Political Research and Administration (AJLPRA)

A Comparative Review of the European Union Observation Mission’s Reports on the Nigerian 2019 and 2023 General Elections

Abstract

One of the means of knowing if a democracy is making progress is through successful successive elections and one of the ways to gauge the success of an election is to look into the reports of the various observation missions and groups that observed and monitored that election. The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) is one of the credible observation missions that have monitored Nigerian elections since Nigeria returned to civil rule in 1999. The reports of the Mission have helped to show the good, the bad, and the worst of the Nigerian brand of electoral process. Unlike the observation reports of the international organizations that Nigeria belongs to like the Commonwealth, the African Union and the ECOWAS, the EU EOM report is usually devoid of the element of a "progress report" as enunciated by Kelly (2012), the reports are more factual and more relatable. The paper submits that for a democracy to make genuine progress through its electoral process, its election needs to be observed by factual electoral observation groups in the mold of EU EOM, despite the expected claim of foreign interference by the indicted party in an election.

Democracy’s Discontent and the Resurgence of Coups in West Africa: Implications for Africa

Abstract

The resurgence of military coups in African politics poses a challenge for democracy and it highlights the fragility of democratization in Africa. Going by the recent coup waves, democracy appears to be in a very fragile state in Africa. Africa for a very long time has enjoyed relative stability in its democratization process. However, this long period of stability is being challenged again as there have already been five successful overthrows of democratically elected governments in Chad, Mali, Guinea, Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Niger between 2021 and 2023 in addition to the unsuccessful attacks. It is equally worth noting that the recent coup waves in Africa have been dominated by West African states: Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea. Unlike in the past when citizens greeted attacks on democratically elected governments with discontent and disapproval, the recent coups have for so many reasons been met with support and acceptance by citizens through celebrations on the streets and supportive messages on social media. This paper therefore seeks to examine democracy’s discontent and the resurgence of coups in West Africa to identify its implications for Africa. The study relied essentially on qualitative data predicated on secondary data. The paper adopted populism as its framework of analysis. The paper revealed that the popular support for the recent coup waves stems from citizens' dissatisfaction with the performance of democracy and democratic leadership. The study recommended, amongst other things, that democratic institutions should be reformed and strengthened, good governance should be promoted by African leaders, and maximum attention should be paid to the welfare and concerns of the military to strengthen professionalism.

An Examination of Nigeria and United States Relations: A Theoretical Perspective

Abstract

The diplomatic relations between Nigeria and the United States over the years have been marred by ups and down, progressive and regressive character. This paper examined the diplomatic relations between both countries under the Goodluck Jonathan and General Buhari’s administration (2011-2021). The paper focused on both countries diplomatic relations specifically on pandemic response and health, bilateral economic engagement, educational and cultural exchanges and peace and security engagement. Anchoring the paper’s theoretical review on trait theory of the leadership, the paper reviewed the collected historical data and conducted a comparative analysis of Goodluck’s administrations’ foreign relations with the United States (2011-2015) and that of his successor, President Muhammadu Buhari (2015-2021). The review revealed that Goodluck and Buhari shuttle diplomacy is yet to achieve a convincing impact on the international community in terms of establishing a strong foreign relation with the U.S and the challenges of Nigeria's foreign relations is how to overcome its integrity crisis, and thereby securing the desired respect for its citizens internationally. This paper further revealed that Buhari's foreign relation with the United States has more impact on Nigeria's economy than that of Goodluck administration, even though the challenges are still present in the Buhari administration such as the Boko-Haram insurgency, unemployment, farmers-headmen crises, kidnapping, police brutality, and so on. The paper recommended that for Nigeria to promote a viable national interest it must pursue and promote a dynamic and assertive foreign relation with the United States and other big nations of the world.