Abstract
The armed forces of Nigeria, in power for nearly three-quarters of the country'sindependent history, show little willingness to return to the barracks. Even if civilian rulewere restored, deep-rooted beliefs and practices will ensure that officers continue to playmajor political roles. The aborted 1993 presidential elections(generally regarded as fair anddecisive, but won by a candidate disliked by senior army leaders) manifested seriouslingering obstacles to military disengagement from politics. Successful establishment of a"Third Republic" along paths attempted earlier appears unlikely to succeed, due in particu-lar to limited military professionalism, ethnic tensions, and uncertainty about the nature ofdemocratization.
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