Nigeria's Electoral System: A Challenge to Sustainable Democracy in the Fourth Republic

Abstract

The study examines the challenges posed by the Nigeria's electoral system to sustainable democracy in the Fourth Republic. In this research paper, attempt was made to conceptualize some key terms such as election, electoral process, electoral system and sustainable democracy. We also made use of liberal theory of democracy as the tool of our analysis. The paper was based on systematic qualitative content analysis. A critical assessment of the Fourth Republic revealed that many years after democracy gained root in Nigeria, the hopes and aspirations of the citizenry could still not be met. This persistent phenomenon of ineffective governance was largely blamed on the type of electoral system adopted by the country. Therefore, this paper attempts to extrapolate the factors for the frequent breakdown of laws and order during electioneering process in Nigeria and this was traceable to the winner-take all syndrome (FPTP). To this end, sustainable democracy in Nigeria has become an illusion. It is therefore the contention of this paper that until we change from this FPTP or the winner-take-all principle to Proportional Representation (PR) where every party can be represented on the basis of votes won, sustainable democracy would be a mirage.