CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
An intermittent free and reasonable election is a fundamental device for the sustenance of democracy in each country and Nigeria is no exemption. Elections are no uncertainty an imperative piece of any democratic procedure. The degree of improvement in any nation relies upon the believability of the pioneers and the procedure that carried them to control. Elections offer the majority the chance to pick the individuals who will oversee them. Where this strategy fizzles, people and gathering may result to different methods, (overthrow d‟etat and brutality) to seek after their case to control.
Nigeria as a nation has around 250 ethnic gatherings and three particular ethnic nationalities, Via-Hausa, Ibo and Yoruba. It is in this manner doubtful that for the beginning democracy in Nigeria to be supported, the electoral framework ought to be established and dependent on mainstream will and investment, and on equivalent portrayal.
Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights embraced by the U.N General Assembly on December 10, 1948 built up that: “the desire of the individuals will be the bases of power of government, this „Will‟ of the individuals will be communicated in intermittent and veritable elections which will be by mystery vote or proportionate free casting a ballot methodology” (U.N General Assembly, 1948).
The significant position Nigeria possesses in Africa and its impact on the geo-political structure of the entire of the African mainland makes it basic for the nation to set up a steady, reasonable and economical democratic structure. As Ake (2000) brought up, both the disappointment of advancement and the inability to place improvement on the motivation in Africa are to a great extent credited to political conditions. A significant condition winning in the mainland is the origination of legislative issues as “fighting” by the politically dynamic portion of the decision class and the hold on disorder of the continent‟s political pioneers. A culture of elections that is set apart by viciousness and fighting is absolutely an abomination to the probability of improvement.
It is on this reason this thesis tries to explore the degree of development in participatory democracy in the Nigerian electoral framework since its present democratic administration which commenced since May 1999 (i.e..the Fourth Republic which introduced the present democratic system, through the election led by INEC), by taking a gander at how inventive the whole electoral framework has been, and to acertain the progressions that have occured because of the accessibility and the utilization of ICT in improving the entrenchment and sustenance of genuine democracy through famous participation.
The exploration investigates the different advancements which have occurred in the Nigerian electoral framework. It investigates the job of advancement in correspondence made by computerized innovation (web-based social networking) which use has been ascribed to the ongoing political and social uprising in the Arab world, and how it has changed the degree of well known support, political mindfulness, and the direct of solid elections in the Nigeria political framework.
