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West Africa experiences a significant number of incidences of political violence each month. Each country across the region has their own distinct challenges which are reflected in the trends of incidences and fatalities. As a region, it is important to monitor these events to better understand these occurrences, their causes, the effects they have on their communities, countries, and regions, and to create predictions regarding possible future developments. The following report analyzes six months of the ACLED data and provides an overview of regional trends supported by individual country analyses to provide context for the trends observed. While many of the incidences tracked in the database stem from political motivations, not all incidences analyzed in this report are strictly political. For example, banditry may be an economic decision instead of a political one. Nonetheless, incidences of banditry have a political effect on the community in which they occur, For the purposes of remaining consistent with the ACLED database, this report refers to all incidences captured within the database and used for this report as being political in nature.

The motivation for this study was to test theoretical debates around decentralisation. On the one hand, some theorists argue that decentralisation should reduce corruption through more accountable and transparent local governance.

The Buharimeter is an independent monitoring tool that enables Nigerians, scholars and political analysts around the globe to evaluate the implementation of the campaign promises of President Muhammad Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), made in the prelude to the 2015 general elections.

The 2023 general election will be a defining moment not just for Nigeria but also for West Africa. The region has suffered democratic decline and experienced coups and counter-coups in the past three years. However, beyond the hopes of the emergence of transformational leadership that will change the country's fate, there are existing challenges that threaten the conduct of free, fair, and credible elections in Nigeria. Nigeria's 2023 election will be the seventh to be conducted in the fourth republic. It will be unique for two reasons. First, it will not have an incumbent running. Second, the country has promulgated the 2022 Electoral Act, bringing new changes to election guidelines and regulations. However, the 2023 election is one that many analysts speculate will be fraught with severe challenges. Nigeria's six geopolitical zones are currently embroiled in different conflicts, ranging from farmer-herder clashes witnessed in all the zones to banditry and terrorist threats in the northwest and north-central and secessionist agitations in the southeast. These conflict situations are likely to deteriorate further with increased political violence that could affect the safety of election materials, personnel and even voters. In addition, the security situation could affect voter turnout – despite ongoing voter registration already surpassing 85 million registered voters - and even the legitimacy of the results.

This publication discusses several frequently asked questions regarding the 2019 Nigerian elections. On page 5 the following questions is discussed: What constitutes the 2019 general election? When is the election going to be held?

CDD-EAC reviews the 2023 governorship elections

The economic crisis in the Niger Delta has been accentuated by increased exploitation of oil and gas resources occasioned by the search of the Nigerian state for greater revenues and the multinational oil companies‟ quest for higher profits.

Increased Violence and Vote Buying Recorded in Governorship Elections

In recent elections across West Africa opposition mantras of change have succeeded in convincing voters to oust incumbent governments. The five countries focused on in this edition of West Africa Insight - Nigeria, Ghana, The Gambia, Sierra Leone and Liberia - have all seen an opposition presidential candidate emerge victorious since 2015. But faced with significant challenges and high expectations how are they doing in office?

Military Men Reset Relations in Burkina Faso

Nigeria is a Federal Republic composed of 36 states, with a population figure put at 193,392,517 (98,630,184, 51% males and; 94,762,333, 49% females) as at April 2018 by the National Population Commission (NPC) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Previewing Postponed Polls: Nigeria's State Elections holding on 18 March 2023

New research undertaken by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) indicates that the level of violence in northeastern Nigeria has declined substantially in many areas since the height of the Boko Haram insurgency in 2015.

Nigeria’s next elected president will lead the country into celebrating 63 years as an independent nation on 1 October 2023. In that time, Nigerians have seen attempts at democracy interrupted three times, but democracy has been the system of

Cryptocurrency as a digital asset is designed to work as a medium of exchange that uses cryptography to anonymously secure its transactions, control the creation of additional units and to verify the transfer of assets.

Nigeria’s next elected president will lead the country into celebrating 63 years as an independent nation on 1 October 2023. In that time, Nigerians have seen attempts at democracy interrupted three times, but democracy has been the system of

In the forthcoming governorship election in Ekiti State, what will define and shape the outcome of the result is going to be money, and incumbency (both at federal and state) might spice with a monopoly of violence.

The Election Analysis Centre (EAC) is a response to the groundswell of citizens demands for credible elections. Through the EAC, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has regularly convened experts to brainstorm and interrogate key issues in Nigeria’s electoral process. Since 2015, the EAC has observed elections general and off cycle elections, generating a number of valuable reports on key aspects of Nigerian elections. For the 2023 general elections the EAC will keep a close watch on the key processes in the build up to, during and after the elections. For the presidential and national assembly elections on 25 February 2023 and the gubernatorial and State House of Assembly, CDD will deploy over 4,000 trained and accredited observers, data clerks, fact-checkers and social media monitors.

New research undertaken by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) indicates that the level of violence in northeastern Nigeria has declined substantially in many areas since the height of the Boko Haram insurgency in 2015. In a survey encompassing sites in Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states, 85% of respondents reported witnessing a reduction in the level of violence and human rights abuse in their communities.