Decentralisation is regarded as a way of reducing political competition between people. However, studies in Nigeria show that decentralised politics actually can fuel confl icts and ethnic divisions as community identities become basis for representation.The February 2015 elections have – if the electoral process is free and fair – a potential to ease some of the d...

Decentralisation is regarded as a way of reducing political competition between people. However, studies in Nigeria show that decentralised politics actually can fuel confl icts and ethnic divisions as community identities become basis for representation.The February 2015 elections have – if the electoral process is free and fair – a potential to ease some of the d...

The benefits of winning elections, and the disadvantages of losing them, must be reduced to avoid the violence that a winner-takes-all situation can trigger. Election observers should pay more attention to subtle forms of violence, intra-party tensions and incumbents playing the security card to justify increased use of force. This policy note considers how to curb...