Democratization has proceeded in Africa in terms of implementing multiparty democracy. However, there are still major challenges with this process across the continent. By examining the contribution of the intellectual to election administration in Africa vis‐à‐vis the political obligation of the citizen to the state, the knowledge of political science plays a significant role in resolving the challenges mitigating against democratic consolidation in the continent. This article interrogates the responsibilities of university academics in election administration from 1959 to 2019 and recounts the impact of such interventions for democratization and political stability in Nigeria. Our enquiry reveals that many of the problems undermining election administration are clearly beyond the interventions by these academics. The constraints and limitations of university academics in their efforts as instruments of large‐scale political change in Nigeria are connected largely with the fact that no institution or segment of the society is insulated from the power associated with politics in Nigeria. Accordingly, beyond election administration and also beyond the role of the intelligentsia therein, Nigeria's political ecology must undergo significant holistic changes to deliver a credible, fair and transparent electoral process. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

中文翻译：

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尼日利亚学术和选举管理局

非洲在实行多党民主制方面已经取得了民主化。但是，整个非洲大陆的这一过程仍然存在重大挑战。在非洲考察知识的贡献选举管理可见- à -可见作为公民对国家的政治义务，政治科学知识在解决缓解非洲大陆民主巩固的挑战方面发挥着重要作用。本文审视了1959年至2019年间大学学者在选举管理中的职责，并叙述了此类干预措施对尼日利亚的民主化和政治稳定的影响。我们的询问表明，破坏选举管理的许多问题显然超出了这些学者的干预范围。大学学者在尼日利亚进行大规模政治变革的努力中，其局限性和局限性很大程度上与以下事实有关：社会上没有哪个机构或部门可以与尼日利亚的政治权力相隔离。因此，除了选举管理以及知识分子的角色之外，尼日利亚的政治生态必须进行重大的整体变革，以实现可靠，公平和透明的选举过程。分级为4 +©2020 John Wiley＆Sons，Ltd.