APCG Online Colloquium on August 7 2024: Longing for Strongman Rule in Nigeria

Our next APCG Online Colloquium will be held on August 7 at 10:30 am EDT. It will feature work by Chris Akor (The University of Alabama) entitled “Longing for Strongman Rule in Nigeria.” The full paper abstract is below. Our discussants will be Josef Woldense and Boniface Dulani. Please sign-up here: https://forms.gle/XZXNXr8Z3rue3Mqy9

Title: Longing for Strongman Rule in Nigeria

Abstract: Despite transitioning to democracy in 1999, Nigeria remains trapped in the vortex of big-man rule. Former military dictators continue to dominate politics, and upon winning elections, they quickly personalize power, weaken institutions, and rely on patrimonial networks to govern. Yet, survey evidence shows that the Nigerian people do not support big-man rule. Using O Donnell’s delegative democracy model and public opinion data from Afrobarometer and World Values Survey (WVS), this article attempts to reconcile the apparent contradiction. It shows how, despite the clear preference for democratic rule, Nigerians still long for and are susceptible to big-man personalist rule. Understanding how this dissonance between liberal democracy and longing for strongman rule plays out sheds light on the future of democracy and democratic consolidation in the country.

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