MULTI-PARTY POLITICS AND ELECTORAL VIOLENCE IN 2015 GENERAL ELECTIONS

A STUDY OF EBONYI STATE

Abstract

Elections in Nigeria have historically been conflict ridden. Equally, multi-party politics has been characterised with wanton level of violence stemming from the colonial period to the contemporary time, thereby constituting various periods of election in Nigeria into theatres of electoral violence Following the creation of Ebonyi State in 1996, the state has traversed 1998/99, 2003, 2007, 2011 general elections, but the 2015 general elections presented unique features with remarkable electoral violence. One of the features and problems is the renewed tempo of violence among the contending political parties in the 2015 general elections. Political parties play fundamental roles in bringing about successful elections in a democracy, but in Ebonyi State rather than political parties playing positive roles, intra and interparty frictions, and identity politics, generated electoral violence and crimes thereby constituting and posing difficulties and obstacles to free, fair and credible elections in the March 28th and April 11th, 2015 general elections. The study adopted post colonial state theory. It relied on observation and interview as instruments of data collection, and equally adopted interpretive research studies and content analysis as preferred tools for data analysis. The findings showed that the interplay of identity politics among the political parties that participated in the 2015 general elections precipitated electoral violence in Ebonyi State. Therefore, the study recommends the cross cultural clan cooperation of intra and inters party relations, and reduction of personalisation of power by elites will ensure violent free election in Ebonyi State.