REPORTS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION ELECTION OBSERVATION MISSION AND EMILOKAN DEMOCRACY IN 2023 NIGERIA'S PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: IMPLICATIONS FOR ELECTORAL POLICY AND PRACTICE

This study investigated the impact of the European Union Election Observation Mission reports on Milovan democracy in Nigeria, viewing elective positions as entitlements, in the 2023 presidential election. In particular, the paper sought to determine how the EU Election Observation Mission reports addressed cronyism issues surrounding the 2023 presidential election and its implications for democratic consolidation in Nigeria. It underpins its theoretical framework on the democratic theory of election observation. It adopted a qualitative approach. This study utilized a case study design and content analysis of the election reports. The findings revealed that the reports highlighted several issues breeding Emilokan democracy, including voter suppression, electoral violence, vote buying, patronage politics, power rotation by moneybags, political maneuvering of electoral reform implementation, and bias in the electoral process. It recommended that the government implement electoral reforms to address the Emilokan issues highlighted by the EU EOM reports and enhance the process of democratic consolidation under the lens of civil society groups and local and international observers. The EU EOM reports unearthed the Emilokan democracy in the 2023 presidential election in Nigeria