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Elections and Democratic Consolidation in West Africa: Comparative Study of Nigeria and Senegal, 1999-2012

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Elections and Democratic Consolidation in West Africa: Comparative Study of Nigeria and Senegal, 1999-2012 Elections and Democratic Consolidation in West Africa: Comparative Study of Nigeria and Senegal, 1999-2012 By Abiodun Surajudeen Fatai Supervisor Prof. Suzanne Francis A dissertation Submitted in fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. 2017 i Plagiarism Declaration I………………………………………………..declared as follows that: I. The research reported in this thesis, except where otherwise stated is my original work. II. This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or examination at any other Universities or academic institutions of learning. III. This thesis does not contain other persons’ data, pictures, graph or other information unless precisely acknowledged as being from them. IV. This thesis also, does not contain other person’s writings, unless specifically acknowledged as being sourced from other person’s research work. Where other written sources have been used in this work, their words have been re-worded and the general information attributed to them has been referenced. In addition, where exactly their words have been used, they have been placed inside quotations marks, and referenced as well. V. Finally, this thesis does not comprise text, graphics or tables copied and pasted from the Internet without specifically acknowledging them, and detailing the sources in the thesis and in the reference section. Signed ………………………………. Abiodun Fatai ii Abstract The study examines elections and democratic consolidation in West Africa using Nigeria and Senegal as a comparative lens from 1999-2012. It is predicated on the contradictory trajectories of electoral politics in West Africa under the so-called third wave of democratization and their implication for the consolidation of democracy. This contradictory trend typifies the democratic experience of Nigeria and Senegal in the period under consideration making them good case studies for the presentation of empirical evidences that illustrate how elections engender democratic consolidation in West Africa. Despite the regularities of elections in these countries, which have opened the inroad to democratic consolidation, less progress has been made in terms of the institutionalization of liberal democracy, especially with respect to its principles, such as the rule of law, constitutionalism and political liberties. These principles ensure the meaningfulness and validity of elections in such a manner that political actors see the entire process as “legitimate and binding”, but also defined them in terms of the habituation to democratic rules and procedures before, during and after elections. Undue emphasis on elections only, without recourse to the institutionalization of these principles, has therefore been the cause of democratic reversal and setback in many democratizing countries. This circumstance has a telling consequence for the consolidation of democracy, especially in West Africa where the vestige of military and authoritarian past continue to undermine the institutionalization of liberal democracy. Against this background the study argues that elections, although crucial to the consolidation of democracy, they do not engender democratic consolidation in the absence of other liberal democratic principles such as the rule of law, constitutionalism and political liberties. These principles are the foundational ethos for which the behaviour of political elites is constrained and regulated, in a manner which prevents them from seeking democratic alternatives and the consequence for democratic consolidation. In this context, the study takes motivation from the liberal democratic and elite theories to analyse elections and democratic consolidation in West Africa. Using the qualitative research framework, the study heavily relies on documentary analysis and in-depth interviews conducted in Nigeria and Senegal, which was chosen as the case study from 1999-2012 in consideration of the role of the two countries in the sustenance of democracy in the sub-region. Following this analysis, the study examines several efforts towards the improvement and institutionalization of liberal democracy, and in that context, provided some other recommendations that could enhance the prospect of democratic consolidation in West Africa. iii Acknowledgements My ultimate gratitude goes to the Almighty, Allah, who has made it possible for the completion of this PhD programme. Allah is indeed worthy of the appreciation and considering; his protection, guidance and mercy throughout my academic sojourn in South Africa is here acknowledged. I am eternally grateful to my parents, especially my father. Even though he is late, he was always my reference point to handwork and dedication, which I found highly invaluable in the academics. I acknowledge the unwavering love of my wife; Kafilat and my children; Harith, Fahrian and Fareed, for their patience and perseverance during the period of writing this thesis. Indeed, they demonstrated strong degree of support, encouragement and understanding throughout the programme. I thank you my beloved Kafilat for amazingly keeping me sane through the process and for also creating balance in my life. Writing this thesis without you would not have been easy. I am, therefore, highly beholden to you, for being my pillar of support all the time. On the Academic level, I am greatly indebted to my outstanding supervisor, Professor Suzanne Francis. Without her guidance and valuable inputs from the proposal writing stage, the completion of the final thesis would not have been possible. Suzanne is one of the sharpest and intelligent academic advisors I have ever worked with. Highly perspective and insightful, her approach to addressing some of the key challenges encountered in the course of completing this project was indispensable. Without being economical with the truth, she contributed immensely and helped me shaped my ideas and arguments. Most importantly, Professor Francis was a man-manager, a wonderful supervisor, a problem solver; who does not only motivate with reassurance and inspiration, but also take off tension that is usually associated with PhD writing. She simply takes off her students’ traumas. Succinctly, Suzanne is an unconventional woman with an unconventional mind and energy; her intensity, creativity and commitment to critical scholarship are extraordinary. I hope I could be able to offer my own students these virtues too. I thank Dr. Hakeem Onapajo and Dr. Olusola Ogunnubi for their valuable contributions and useful comments on this thesis. I must be frank; I benefited from their amazing scientific argument and reasoning. I would also like to express my appreciation to the individuals who assisted in the data collection process of the research. In this regards, special mention must be made of Tinubu Ayodeji who worked with me while collecting data in Nigeria. While I concentrated on the iv conduct of the interviews, In fact, I was amazed with the way Tinubu combed media houses in Nigeria to source materials within the stipulated time frame. In addition, I am also indebted to the staff of Lagos State University Library and some Civil Society Organizations, especially Centre for Constitution and Demilitarization (CENCOD) in Nigeria. I sincerely appreciate, the role played by Ibrahim Xalil Niang, who was a PhD candidate at the Cheick Anta Diop University, Senegal (UCAD) during the period of data collection in Senegal. Ibrahim was my interpreter who linked me to major participants of the research in Dakar and Saint Louis, Senegal. For, the entire field process, Ibrahim never faltered nor withered; the passion and commitment he put into this process, was significant to the incredibly rewarding field trip in Senegal. I am especially thankful to Dr. Adejumobi Said who connected me with several top-notch academics in the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESTRIA) and West African Research Centre (WARC), Senegal. In both institutions, I specially thank Dr. Aminata Diaw and Carlos Cardoso for their moral and academic supports, especially in the provision of access to CODESTRIA library and organization of some elite interviews in Dakar. I thank Mr. John Timms; a staff of the Inter- library loan of the University of KwaZulu-Natal South Africa, for making materials available to me when I required them. My special gratitude goes to Dr. Mudasiru, the former Head of Political Science; Lagos State University for his mentorship, administrative and academic support towards the competition of the this PhD. I am entirely grateful to TETFUND for their financial support which was indispensable in the successful completion of this programme. In addition, I thank the entire colleagues at the Lagos State University, especially in the Department of Political Science for their moral and academic supports. My immense obligation goes to my sister, Muyibat Okunola (nee-Fatai-Abatan), who, since the demise of our parents, has always supported my course. She has, through her wonderful advice and constant encouragement, contributed to the accomplishment of this programme. Once again, I sincerely appreciate, and thank, everyone. v Table of Contents Declaration Abstract Acknowledgement Acronyms and Abbreviations Part 1: Introduction and Background to the study. 1-20 General Introduction of the Study. 1-4 Nigeria and Senegal in Comparative Perspectives in West Africa: Background and Political Context. 5-14 Statements of Problem. 14-16 Justification and Significance of
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