- ˡ Christian Chidi OKEKE, Ph.D*, 2 Chukwuemelie Peter OKEKE, 3 Jude Chukwuemeka OKAFOR
- 1,2,3 Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria
- DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.16936630
The study
investigated ethnic politics and the challenges of political development in Nigeria.
Ethnic politics has since pre-independence era characterised the political
landscape of Nigeria and has continued to generate concerns on specific
contributions of issues such as ethnic consideration for national leadership,
ethnic-based appointment, as well as ethnic-based voting pattern on political
development in the country. These concerns necessitated the study. Adopting
rational choice theory as framework of analysis, the study utilized the
documentary method to collate data from secondary sources while content
analysis was adopted for data evaluation. The study revealed that the exclusion
of some ethnic groups from national leadership, ethnic-based appointments as
well as voting along ethnic lines have not supported political development in Nigeria.
The study therefore recommended rotation of national leadership and spread of
appointments across the various geopolitical zones. It equally recommended
national reorientation to de-emphasize ethnic considerations during voting in
general elections in the country.
