1Joel Augustus-Daddie, Ph.D., 2Asiegbu, Victor Iheanyichukwu, Ph.D. and 3Ifegwu, A. Nduka, Ph.D.
1Department of Public Administration, Ken-SaroWiwa Polytechnic, Bori, Rivers state
2Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
3Department of Public Administration, Federal Polytechnic, Oko, Anambra State, Nigeria
Corresponding Author’s email: ifegwu.nduka@federalpolyoko.edu.ng
Abstract
When elections are conducted in a credible and fair manner and according to global best practices act as framework for democratic advancement and development. Since her transition from military to democratic system of government, Nigeria as a nation has conducted different elections with the 2023 general elections as the most recent of all. This study therefore examines the implications of the 2023 General Elections on sustainable democracy and national development in Nigeria, considering the issues, challenges and solutions as the main objective. The study adopted the descriptive research design and collected data from journals, textbooks, newspaper reports and online materials bothering on the subject matter while content analysis was used to analyze the data. The democratic elitism theory was used a theoretical framework to further analyze the implications of the 2023 general elections in Nigeria. The study amongst others found out that; no doubt the elections brought some electoral advancement like the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the Electoral Act, 2020 however, the election recorded some challenges such as; voter intimidation, thuggery, electoral arson amongst others. The study therefore recommends amongst others that, there is need for electoral reorientation, electoral fairness and justice and that the electoral umpire should be allowed to operate on an independent bases as stipulated in the Constitution.