Poverty Reduction as a Panacea for Violence-Free Elections in Nigeria

In a systematic review, the researcher examined the role of poverty reduction as a panacea to violence-free elections in Nigeria. Post-election violence has a historical antecedent in Nigeria beginning in 1965,1980 to date. The consequences of the rising poverty and the failure of poverty reduction measures heightened political and social crisis. The study set to evaluate the relationship between poverty and electoral violence and the failure to improve the living standard of the people and democratize governance. The central argument of this paper centred on the premise that electoral violence has been nurtured fundamentally by poverty which consequently created an army of illiterates, unemployed and alienated majority that are susceptible to manipulation by opportunistic politicians. Using a systematic literature review method, the researcher evaluates relevant and related studies to arrive at the findings of this study. The theoretical underpinning of the present study argues that electoral violence is a reflection of the character of neo-colonial politics and the nature of the political class in control of the state. The researcher found that the main antidote to violence generally and electoral violence, particularly poverty reduction. The study recommends that Alleviating poverty will ensure access to education and income, giving citizens a stake in the Nigerian project. Additionally, Poverty reduction would minimize electoral vices such as rigging, thuggery, violence and intimidation. This is because there would be no poor, illiterate, unemployed and alienated voters to manipulate for the selfish interest of politicians