Institutional Impediments to Achieving Free and Fair Elections in Nigeria: Lessons for Countries in Sub Saharan Africa

In a democratic regime, political power derived from popular consent is obtained through periodic competitive elections. In addition, Free and fair elections constitute the basis of any true representative democracy. In Nigeria, votes rarely count as elections are usually not free and fair due to various electoral malpractices such as rigging, ballot box snatching, vote-buying, violence, and bribery - among other irregularities. Consequently, Nigeria is facing a crisis of democracy because the sanctity of the vote is not guaranteed, which undermines electoral legitimacy. Adopting the qualitative research method (which relies largely on secondary sources of data) and descriptive/contextual analysis, this paper interrogates salient impediments to free and fair elections in Nigeria from mainly the institutional perspective by focusing on the election management body, security (law enforcement) agencies, and the judiciary to proffer actionable suggestions for the way forward. The findings of the study suggest that lack of institutional autonomy, lack of financial independence, manipulation of both voters 'registration and the processes of collecting permanent voters' card, including the interference of security agencies, are institutional impediments to a free and fair election. The lessons learned from this experience can help the countries of sub-Saharan Africa in conducting free and fair elections. This is because, given the population size and influence of Nigeria in the subregion and Africa, it carries a lot of influence both for good and bad.