POLITICAL POWER ALTERNATION AND ELECTORAL VIOLENCE IN POST COLONIAL AFRICA: EXPERIENCES IN NIGERIA AND KENYA, 1999 - 2016

Abstract

This study examines whether alternation in power has minimized the incidence of electoral violence in selected post-colonial African states. The study is anchored on the theory of Post-Colonial State. It adopted documentary method of data collection and content analysis of data. Based on evidence from Nigeria and Kenya which formed our case studies, we demonstrated that in post-colonial African states, where the political power alternation is achieved via rainbow coalition of opposition political parties, the emergent regime is bound to be consumed with the quest to consolidate their hold on state power and to annihilate the opposition. This will ignite vicious circle of battle for state power at all cost thereby escalating electoral violence in the polity. The study avers that focusing on democratic consolidation through strengthening the electoral institutions by the incumbent would mitigate the incidence of electoral violence and ipso facto stabilize the polity in post-colonial African states.