Electoral Violence, Youth Participation, and the Nigerian General Election: Lessons for the Future

Abstract

The article interrogates the factors influencing youth involvement in electoral violence in Nigeria’s general election. The active participation of the youth in politics can strengthen the democratic credentials of the country just as violence breathes doubt into the democracy of any nation. The paper relied on data from secondary sources and with the use of descriptive analysis. The paper revealed that youths in Nigeria are prone to electoral violence because of some limitations such as ethnic factors, financial challenges, and exclusion in the policy-making processes, which have great consequences for the young population during the electioneering process. The paper found that poverty, which is multidimensional in nature, discrimination, unemployment, barriers to education, and limited opportunities that constitute are prominent factors influencing youth involvement in electoral violence in the country. These invariably influence the youth's political participation in electoral violence. The paper concludes that the youth have a significant role to play in Nigerian politics beyond their participation in electoral violence. The active involvement of the youth in the country’s politics can positively create an atmosphere of good governance and social inclusion in Nigeria. One of the important recommendations the paper presented was political sensitization as a medium for avoiding youth participation in electoral violence. It further stresses that the government, non-governmental organizations, local and international organizations, and concerned stakeholders should be involved in the political sensitization of the youth against engaging in electoral violence before, during, and after each electoral cycle in the country.