POLITICAL PARTIES, VIOLENT, AND CULTURE OF ELECTIONEERING PROTEST IN SOUTHWEST NIGERIA: THE 1983 EXPERIENCE

Abstract

This paper is an examination of the political parties and culture of violent during the electioneering process in Southwest Nigeria. It focuses majorly on the circumstances that led to the 1983 political crisis in Nigeria most especially how it affected southwest. The paper also focuses of the activities of the two dominant political parties, that is, Unity Party of Nigeria and National Party of Nigeria and how their activities have created tautness in Southwest Nigeria. It explains the main reasons why violence engulfed the street of Oyo and Ondo, this is ranging from the slow and ineffective way the courts dealt with political matters and the patrician way security agencies went along with political violence. The reaction of Yoruba to show their displeasure and grievances to how shoddy the election of 1983 and the injustice also contributed to this evil of political violence in southwest. The paper concludes that the 1983 political crisis occurred as a result of inability of government and court of justice to do the right thing. The paper, however, derived its data from both primary and secondary sources.