ELECTIONS AND INTERNATIONAL CONSPIRACY IN AFRICA: THE NIGERIAN EXPERIENCE

Rasak Bamidele

Department of Sociology and Psychology

Fountain University Osogbo, Osun State

E-mail:delerasak@yahoo.co.uk

ABSTRACT

International countries and organizations play significant roles during election processes in new and emerging democracies (and in countries hoping to be seen as democratic). The roles and impact they may have become, particularly interesting during situations, where the electoral process develops into “an electoral crisis”. Many such crises have occurred over recent years. The modern history has provided many eloquent examples of use of practice of double standards in all international policy. First, it concerns ambiguity of approaches of influential western powers and the leading international organizations as to the estimation of election campaigns, and other democratic processes taking place in many African states including Nigeria.  Elections in countries where the ruling political regime is pro-western, the international observers recognize that elections meet the European and international standards. On the contrary if a ruling regime or the winner of election has no pro-western orientation, observers, as a rule, find numerous infringements at election. This paper demonstrates how international countries and organizations were involved during and after the electoral processes in Africa countries and Nigeria in particular.

Keywords: Electoral crisis, International organization, Conspiracy, Civil war, Civil Government