POST ELECTION PEACE BUILDING: THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETIES IN 2015 GENERAL ELECTIONS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

All over the world, especially in democratic countries, periodic elections and constitutional guarantee of civil and political liberties is fundamental to liberal democracy. To this end, elections lies at the heart of representative democracy and constitute a mirror of the people's understanding and appreciation of democratization norms. When free, fair and transparent, they confer credibility and legitimacy on the outcome. Nigeria's electoral history has always been marked by various levels of irregularities and violence, with serious implications for the nation’s stability and democratic consolidation. The civil society organizations all over the world advocate for democratic governance and credible elections, the countdown to the 2015 elections in Nigeria witnessed the most active mobilization of ethno-regional constituencies and groups with claims and counter-claims and the prediction about the disintegration of Nigeria against the background of several socio¬ economic, political and security challenges. To this, the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) collectively took up the task of engaging with stakeholders to ensure free, fair and credible electoral process towards democratic consolidation. This paper attempt to evaluate various roles played by the Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the 2015 electioneering process and its impact on the conduct of the elections. Data were generated from secondary sources and analyzed qualitatively using historical approach. The paper concludes that civil society organizations in Nigeria have had considerable influence on enthroning accountability and responsiveness in governance as well as democratic consolidation.