Nigerian Democracy: The Paradoxes within Social Justice and Human Rights Movements

Abstract

This study explores the paradoxes within Nigeria's social justice and human rights movements, particularly focusing on the centralization of political power and its impact on democratic processes, including electoral fraud, vote-buying, and voter suppression. The primary aim is to examine how these paradoxes influence the effectiveness of these movements and perpetuate systemic inequalities within the country. The study employs Social Movement Theory (Tilly, 1978; McAdam, 1982; Tarrow, 1994) as the theoretical framework, which provides insights into how social movements interact with and are shaped by political structures. The methodology adopted is qualitative, relying on secondary data from government publications, human rights reports, and scholarly articles. A content and thematic analysis approach was employed to identify key issues and assess the dynamics between Nigeria’s political centralization and social justice movements. The findings reveal that the centralization of political power in Nigeria leads to the suppression of local issues, reinforces systemic corruption, and hampers the effectiveness of grassroots activism. Movements like #EndSARS were met with severe repression, illustrating the disconnect between the government and marginalized communities. Additionally, electoral fraud and voter suppression tactics continue to undermine the integrity of democratic processes, exacerbating inequality. In conclusion, the study highlights the critical need for decentralization, legal reforms, and electoral integrity to ensure social justice and human rights in Nigeria. The study recommends decentralizing political power, strengthening legal frameworks, improving electoral transparency, and addressing societal discrimination to create a more inclusive and just political system.