Religion and Politics, the Bane of Democracy

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RELIGION AND POLITICS, THE BANE OF DEMOCRACY Introduction Nigeria’s democracy has remained grossly unstable since the country returned to democratic form of governance in 1999. The political terrain has been characterised by violent ethno-religious crisis, contract killing and political assassinations, inter and intra-party fracas and civil disobedience. At the heart of democratic instability in Nigeria is pandemic bureaucratic and political corruption. Nigeria’s democratic project has been under perpetual threat since 1999 when the country returned to democratic governance especially as a result of high prevalence of corruption. Put differently, corruption is a major challenge to democratic stability in Nigeria. The political climate, to say the least has been hostile to democracy. The general scepticism has been whether the current experience will last. This cynicism is justifiable when one consider the fact that all the factors that precipitated the collapse of the First and Second Republics are currently at play. Widespread violence, electoral frauds, political assassination, politically inspired ethno-religious conflict, apathy, evitable economic woes and its attendant consequences (abject poverty, slums etc.,), flagrant disregard for the rule of law, disrespect for human rights and pandemic corruption remains the key features of Nigerian political life. These manifestations of democratic instability are the symptoms and consequences of basic system pathology, majorly, political corruption. Corruption has become prevalent and has not only greatly eroded the basis of the authority of the state but also challenge the legitimacy of democracy as the best form of governance. The problem of democratic instability persists because the political system has failed to engender, maintain and sustain the belief in Nigerians that democracy is the most appropriate system
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