Autocratic Democracy and the Deficit of Human Rights in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic

Abstract

This article reviews secondary data on Nigeria’s Fourth Republic and finds that successive administrations in the Republic have not fared better in safeguarding human rights than the military regimes that ruled the country in the pre-1999 period. It ascribes the reason for the human rights situation in the country to the autocratic nature of democracy in the Republic. It further locates autocracy in the Republic to flaws in the 1999 Constitution, flawed electoral processes, and elitism. The article recommends constitutional amendment and strict adherence to the principle of the rule of law to promote human rights in the Republic.