CIVIC EDUCATION AND WOMEN DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION IN NIGERIA’S 2023 ELECTIONS: PRE, DURING AND POST ELECTION ROLES.

Abstract

Democracy is popularly conceived as a western idea which originated from Greece. As a result, it is

seen as a mood of government in which every citizen of Greek City States participated in the governing

process due to the smallness of the population. This special issue on ‘Civic Education and women

democratic participation’ aims at highlighting women democratic roles in the 2023 general elections, the

right to franchise and citizenship aspects of education, narrowing it down to the 2023 general election

with expositions to the roles played by some women before, during and after elections. This is also to

expand the discussion of democracy within education in a time when education is seen as the motor of

global capitalism and the production of human capital. Women’s participation in democratic process and

system is strategic to national development, not only for women’s empowerment but because it has a

wider benefit and impacts on the polity. Also, in this study, the researchers convey research on human

rights, civic education and political participation. The paper thus finally calls for a radical return to the

indigenous democratic heritage as part of the decolonization process. To attain its goal, the paper first

clarifies the concepts employed in this work namely, democracy, women, participation, development

and education. It tries to answer the questions: How was democracy and women participation in the pre-

colonial era? How had women responded to democratic processes? What role did the education play in

the achievement of democracy in the 2023 election? What should be the role of women in an educated-

democratic and none democratic state? What is the importance of education in democracy? What is the

importance of democracy in development?