Foreign Election Observers And The 2019 Presidential Election In Nigeria

Abstract

This paper examines the role of foreign election observers in the 2019 Nigerian presidential election with particular focus on the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI), two of the most prominent international observation missions deployed to Nigeria during that electoral cycle that was characterized by significant logistical challenges, security concerns, allegations of irregularities among other notable in-competencies that raised fundamental questions about the credibility of Nigeria’s democratic process. The paper adopts purposive sampling technique and used International Norm theory as its theoretical framework, using the tools of primary and secondary sources of data collection. The paper established that foreign observer groups have not made great impact on the conduct of the said elections in Nigeria because of the attitude of the key political actors in Nigeria, lack of implementation of certain recommendations arising from observations. It was also noted that lack of transparency, hostile environment, vote buying, intimidation, inefficiency of the electoral institution undermined the desired credibility of the election. These among other factors made it visibly impossible for the election to meet the desired credibility process. The paper recommend that, the entire electoral process in Nigeria should be revisited to increase the confidence of voters in the nation’s journey to democracy