BETWEEN DEMOCRACY AND EXCLUSION: THE ENDURING CRISIS OF IGBOPHOBIA IN NIGERIA’S SECOND AND FOURTH REPUBLICS (1979–1983 AND 1999–2020)

Abstract

This study examines the persistence of Igbophobia in Nigeria’s democratic dispensations, focusing on the Second and Fourth Republics (1979–1983 and 1999–2020). The objective is to interrogate how democratic structures, instead of mitigating ethnic hostilities, have inadvertently reinforced anti-Igbo prejudice through political exclusion, zoning arrangements, and ethno-regional dominance. Employing a historical-comparative and qualitative methodology, the study relies on primary and secondary sources to analyse patterns of political representation, state policies, and electoral behaviour. Findings reveal that both republics sustained systemic marginalization of the Igbo through institutional and informal mechanisms of exclusion, elite manipulation, and media stereotyping, which undermined the democratic ideal of inclusiveness. The study concludes that democracy in Nigeria has been ethnically mediated, and until the structures of federalism are reconfigured to promote justice and equal representation, Igbophobia will remain a recurring threat to national cohesion and democratic stability.