Judicial Intervention in Election Outcome and the Future of Democracy in Nigeria: A Study of Presidential Elections in the Fourth Republic

Abstract

This paper explores the role of judicial intervention in electoral outcomes in Nigeria, with a particular focus on presidential elections during the Fourth Republic. The study aims to assess the judiciary's impact in resolving disputes arising from electoral outcomes. A qualitative desk research approach was employed, utilizing content analysis. The findings reveal that all Nigerian presidential elections between 1999 and 2023, with the exception of the 2015 election, have been subjected to extensive litigation.  The tensions generated from these elections, many of which reached the Supreme Court, have exacerbated he fault lines in Nigeria’s federalism, and intensifying calls for political restructuring. Thus, the study concludes that establishing free and fair elections will minimize the need for judicial involvement in determining election outcomes, thereby consolidating the country’s democratic development. It recommends reforms in the conduct of elections in order to minimise the incidence of the Judiciary intervention and further consolidate the country’s nascent democracy.