Historic Patterns of Democratisation in Ghana And Nigeria

Abstract

The paper examines the historic pattern of democratisation in Ghana and Nigeria, respectively. Election management and subsequent transfer of power have been largely problematic in Africa. It also follows the trend that the pattern of power rotation has been tilted and lopsided, often taking place within the ruling political parties and incumbent governments, usually via manipulation of the process. This paper adopts an exploratory research design and collected primary data via 20 semi-structured interviews to empirically interrogate the historic pattern of democratisation in these very prominent countries of the West African sub-region. This was with the view to harnessing the inherent lessons for the rest of the continent; identifying and seeking to build on areas which need improvements concerning democratisation in the countries studied. The paper found, among others, that Ghana has enjoyed a more peaceful and seamless power rotation and a more successful democratisation process than Nigeria.