The role of civil society organizations in curtailing electoral violence and sustaining democratic governance in Nigeria

Nigeria’s political landscape is faced with series of challenges and socio-political factors that portend hindrances to sustainable democratic governance. Over the years, the conduct of elections has been a problematic as violence remains the hallmark of Nigerian politics. Electoral violence has assumed a worrisome dimension in the Nigerian democratic system. Nearly all elections in Nigeria have been marred by violence.The spate of general election violence has formed a pattern resulting in threat to peace and order.The main objective of this paper is to assess the role of civil society organizations (CSOs) in curtailing electoral violence and how they sustain democratic governance. The study used secondary data sources to analyze the issue of electoral violence and democratic governance in Nigeria. It concluded with policy options that could enhance the civil society organizations in playing more roles to forestall violence and sustain democratic governance in Nigeria.