Electoral Reform and Political Stability in Nigeria: A Reflective Discourse

The study discusses the necessity of electoral reforms as a drive for political stability in Nigeria. The paper is aimed at bringing to the fore the adverse affiliation that endures between electoral malpractice and sustainable political stability in Nigeria. Information for the study was gathered using the secondary source of data collection which include; journals, textbooks and the internet. The work adopted the Systems theory as its theoretical framework. However, the study realized that the abuse of electoral process breeds weak leadership with the end product being military intrusion, corruption, industrial strike action, ethno-religious tensions, poverty and terrorism. Also, the paper explains that implementation of recommendations of electoral reforms committees produces strong leadership which projects political stability and in turn promotes development. Finally, the work proposes some feasible recommendations to counter the perils of electoral malpractice which include; Method of appointment for head of the electoral body; time frame for a political officer to vacate office prior to elections; INEC to establish electoral offences courts; INEC to review and regulate cost of nomination forms for aspirants; enforcement of the Electronic Voting System (EVS); among others