Power sharing in Nigeria’s divided society: structures, conflicts and challenges

This chapter analyzes the politics of power-sharing in Nigeria. Nigeria’s power-sharing model exemplifies the hybrid power-sharing system given that both institutional and non-institutional mechanisms for power-sharing instruments are used to accommodate interests of its multiple ethnic and religious groups. The institutional mechanisms include the federal system, state and local government creations, federal character principle and revenue allocation systems, while mechanisms such as the rotational presidency and zoning arrangements are informal agreements agreed by the elites. Although useful, the model has not produced positive outcomes not because of inherent weaknesses in the model, but largely because of the poor commitment and desperation for power by the political elites. For this reason, the power-sharing model has often exploded leading to perennial political conflicts and secession moves by self-acclaimed excluded ethnic groups. The chapter concluded that the major lessons to be drawn from the Nigerian experiences is that the success of power-sharing is not underlined by institutional frameworks or elite agreements, but by the attitude of the elite to implement the model they have produced.

Adejumobi, S. (2004). Civil Society and Federalism in Nigeria. Regional & Federal Studies, 14(2), 211–231.

Akinola, A. (1996). The concept of a rotational presidency in Nigeria. The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs, 85 (337), 13-24.

Agbaje, A. (1998). The ideology of power-sharing: An analysis of content, context and intent. In K. Amuwo, et al. (Eds.), Federalism and Political Restructuring in Nigeria. Ibadan: Spectrum.

Agbu, O. (2004). Re-inventing Federalism in Post-transition Nigeria: Problems and Prospects. Africa Development, 24(2), 26–52.

Ayoade, J. (1986). Ethnic Management in the 1979 Nigerian Constitution. Publius: Journal of Federalism 16 (2): 73-90.

Babalola, D. (2018). Ethnicity, ethnic conflict and the elusive quest for peace in post-military Nigeria. In D. Babalola & H. Onapajo (Eds.), Nigeria, a country under Siege: Issues of conflict and its management. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Babalola, D. (2019). The political economy of federalism in Nigeria. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.

Babalola, D. (2020). Ethno-religious voting in Nigeria: interrogating voting patterns in the 2019 presidential election. The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs, 109 (4), 377-385.

Babalola, D and Onapajo, H. (2019). New Clamour for “Restructuring” in Nigeria: Elite Politics, Contradictions, and Good Governance. African Studies Quarterly, 18 (4), 41 – 56.

Brancati, D. (2004). Can federalism stabilize Iraq? Washington Quarterly, 27 (2): 5-21.

Bell, C. (2018). Political Power-sharing and Inclusion: Peace and Transition Processes. Edinburg: Political Settlements Research Programme, University of Edinburg.

Constitution of the All Progressives Congress (APC) (n.d.). https://www.inecnigeria.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/APC-Constitut... (accessed 21 July 2021).

Elazar, D. (1985). Federalism and Consociational Regimes. Publius, 15(2), 17–34.

Elazar, D. (1987). Exploring Federalism. Alabama: The University of Alabama Press.

Ezugwu, O. (2021). Buhari’s ‘nepotism’ fueling agitations for secession – PDP. Business Hallmark, 4 May 2021.
https://hallmarknews.com/buharis-nepotism-fuelling-agitations-for-se... (accessed 19 July 2021).

Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), (1979). Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Lagos: Federal Government Press.

Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), (1999). Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999. Lagos: Federal Government Press.

Gates, S. & Strøm, K. (2018). Power-sharing and civil conflict. Oslo: Center for the Study of Civil War.

Hartzell, C. and Hoddie, M. (2003). Institutionalizing Peace: Power Sharing and Post-Civil War Conflict Management. American Journal of Political Science, 47 (2): 318–332

Jarstad, A. (2009). The Prevalence of Power-Sharing: Exploring the Patterns of Post-Election Peace. Africa Spectrum, 44(3): 41-62.

Kirk-Greene, A. H. M. (1975). The Genesis of the Nigerian Civil War and the Theory of Fear. Uppsala: Nordic African Institute.

Horowitz, D. (1985). Ethnic Groups in Conflict. London: University of California Press.

Horowitz, D. (2014). Ethnic power-sharing: Three big problems. Journal of Democracy, 25(2), 5 – 20.

Lijphart, A. (1969). Consociational democracy. World Politics, 21(2), 207–225.

Lijphart, A. (1977). Democracy in Plural Societies: A Comparative Exploration. New Haven: Yale University Press.

Lijphart, A. (1979). Consociation and Federation: Conceptual and Empirical Links. Canadian Journal of Political Science, 12 (3), 499-515.

Lijphart, A. (1985). Non-Majoritarian Democracy: A Comparison of Federal and Consociational Theories. Publius, 15(2), 3–15.

McCulloch, A. (2014). Consociational settlements in deeply divided societies: the liberal-corporate distinction. Democratization, 21(3): 501-518.

McCulloch, A. (2021). Introduction: Power-Sharing in Europe— From Adoptability to End-Ability. In S. Keil, & A. McCulloch (eds.), Power-Sharing in Europe: Past Practice, Present Cases, and Future Directions.

McCulloch, A. & McEvoy, J. (2018). The international mediation of power-sharing settlements. Cooperation and Conflict, 53 (94): 467 – 485.

McEvoy, J., & Aboultaif, E. (2020). Power-Sharing Challenges: From Weak Adoptability to Dysfunction in Iraq. Ethnopolitics. DOI:10.1080/17449057.2020.1739363

Mustapha, A. R. (1986). The National Question and Radical Politics in Nigeria. Review of African Political Economy, 13(37), 81–97.

Mustapha, A. R. (2009a). Institutionalising ethnic representation: How effective is affirmative action in Nigeria? Journal of International Development, 21, 561–576.

Mustapha, A. R. (2009b). Nigeria since 1999: A Revolving Door Syndrome or the Consolidation of Democracy? In A. R. Mustapha & L. Whitfield (Eds.), Turning Points in African Democracy. New York: James Currey.

O’Leary, B. (2013). Power Sharing in Deeply Divided Places: An Advocate’s Introduction. In J. McEvoy & B. O’Leary (Eds.), Power-sharing in deeply divided places. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, University of Pennsylvania Press.

Onapajo, H. (2012). Politics for God: Religion, politics and conflict in democratic Nigeria. The Journal of Pan African Studies, 4(9), 42-66.

Onapajo, H. (2015). Nigeria’s 2015 general elections: The salience of electoral reforms. The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs, 104(5), 573-584.

Onapajo, H., & Babalola, D. (2021). Restructuring, Political Gimmicks and Elite Manipulation in Nigeria. In O. Tella, (Ed.), A Sleeping Giant? Nigeria’s Domestic and International Politics in the Twenty-First Century, Cham: Springer

Osaghae, E. (1991). Ethnic Minorities and Federalism in Nigeria. African Affairs, 90, 237–258.

Wheare, K. (1963). Federal Government (4th ed.). London: Oxford University Press.

Wolff, S. (2009). Peace by design? Towards "complex power-sharing". In R. Taylor (Ed.), Consociational Theory: McGarry and O’Leary and the Northern Ireland Conflict. London: Routledge.

Trzciński, K. (2018a). Hybrid power-sharing: On how to stabilize the political situation in multi-segmental societies. Politeia: The Journal of the Faculty of International and Political Studies of the Jagiellonian University, 15(56), 85-107.

Trzciński, K. (2018b). What is Power Sharing? Consociationalism, Centripetalism, and Hybrid Power Sharing. Studia Polityczne, 46(3), 9-30.

Suberu, R. (1988). Federalism and Nigeria's Political Future: A Comment. African Affairs, 87 (348): 431-439.

Zanker, F., Simons, C., & Mehler, A. (2015). Power, peace, and space in Africa: Revisiting territorial power-sharing. African Affairs, 114(454), 72-91.