PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC PARTY (POP) ZONING ARRANGEMENT AND 2011 PRESIDENTIAL POST-ELECTION VIOLENCE IN NIGERIA A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Abstract

One of the problems facing Nigeria social-political environment is the excruciating sentiment average Nigerian has on his ethnic group, with little or no passion attached to the country's overall general well-being. Political violence in Nigeria has always been traced to this 'monster' (regional sentiment), that has persistently remained part of our existence. The 2011 general election, including that of the president, was adjudged to be the best Nigeria has ever had since 1999. After the pronouncement of the winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),post-election violence followed in its wake in the northern part of the country thereby, putting a big question mark on the election. This article has been designed to critically examine the issue of zoning arrangement in PDP and the presidential postelection violence. The objective of the study is to ascertain what accounted for post- election violence after the 2011 Presidential election in northern Nigeria. The study will be guided by the following research question: Did the election of a southern president in the 2011 presidential election account for the 2011 post election violence in northern Nigeria? The study is anchored on frustration aggression theory. The article is basically library research hence we relied on documentary method of data collection. We collected data from secondary sources. Such secondary sources are text books; journals; INEC publications, seminar, conference and workshop papers; magazines, newspaper and internet materials. Descriptive and explanatory methods of analysis were adopted because the study is qualitative method. The article revealed that the jettisoning of PDP zoning arrangement as evident in the emergence of a southerner as president generated so much tension that later resulted to the wanton killing of lives, and destruction of properties after the results were announced.