ABSTRACT:

One basic assumption of contemporary liberal democratic theory is the efficient management of elections as a fundamental prerequisite for democratic order. Yet, the history of election administration in .Nigeria is largely seen as a history of electoral fraud and violence. Indeed, there has been a linear relationship between Nigeria's history of election administration and the inability to enthrone a democratic order in the country. However, the implication of Nigeria's electoral history for the enthronement of a democratic order is yet to be exhaustively explored. This paper seeks prove that whilst elections are clearly linked to democracy and are in fact an important conditions for it, elections on their own do not qualify a country to be classified as democratic.