International Security

International Security is America's leading peer-reviewed journal of security affairs.

International Security
Article
from International Security

Elite Competition, Social Movements, and Election Violence in Nigeria

READ FULL ARTICLE
A Soldier stand guard as voters cast their vote during the gubernatorial election in Kaduna, Nigeria, Thursday, April 28, 2011. Two states in Nigeria's Muslim north voted Thursday for state gubernatorial candidates after their polls were delayed by violence that killed at least 500 last week after the oil-rich nation's presidential election.
A Soldier stand guard as voters cast their vote during the gubernatorial election in Kaduna, Nigeria, Thursday, April 28, 2011. Two states in Nigeria's Muslim north voted Thursday for state gubernatorial candidates after their polls were delayed by violence that killed at least 500 last week after the oil-rich nation's presidential election.

Summary

Election violence varies significantly within countries, yet how and why are undertheorized. An analysis of gubernatorial elections in Nigeria reveals the conditions under which elites recruit popular social-movement actors for preelection violence. Elites recruit these actors to oust rivals and consolidate power; when local ruling-party elites are aligned, however, they have little incentive to enlist these actors for violence. The theory and evidence help explain subnational variation in election violence as well as the relationship between intraparty politics and election violence.

Recommended citation

Megan Turnbull, "Elite Competition, Social Movements, and Election Violence in Nigeria," International Security, Vol. 45, No. 3 (Winter 2020/21), pp. 40-78,

Elite Competition, Social Movements, and Election Violence in Nigeria

Want to read more?

The full text of this publication is available in the link below.

Up Next