Militarization of Electoral Process and Political Participation in the 2019 General Elections in Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

Africa has encountered colossal challenges in its quest for democratization; one of which has been the militarization of politics. Though Nigeria is gradually shedding the black history of militarism that spanned the 1960s-1990s and embracing democratization, militarism still lingers, remaining a ghost that has haunted the country's democracy venture. This scenario has prompted Ntalaja to argue that democratic process in Nigeria is bedeviled by poor party politics as a result of not only excessive westernization of the concept ‘democracy', but also the politicization of the higher echelon of the military profession among others. Although the 2019 general elections have come and gone, but the credibility of the entire process received a lot of criticisms based on how those allotted different roles by law and the relevant authorities conducted themselves. Amidst the raging bubbling anger among Nigerians over the involvement of military in the 2019 general elections, many political analysts dug into how due process was subverted in some states across the country during the elections. Rivers State, the oil and gas capital of Nigeria, is one of the states embroiled in controversies associated with the elections whose process was suspended and declared inconclusive by INEC due to the sheer number of military personnel on duty during the elections and the partisan role they played. This paper by employing the post-colonial state theory argues that the involvement of the military in Rivers state 2019 General Elections is a reflection of the authoritarian character of the Nigerian state. The findings revealed that military presence in Rivers state in the 2019General Elections accounts for the low voters' turnout in the state. The paper depended on documentary method and utilizes content analysis. This paper recommended among other that in spite of the non-tolerant nature and behavior of the political elites, the military of whatever status or nature be kept from being part and parcel of the electoral processes by allowing the civilian authorities to conduct and carry out the entire processes at all levels.