Silencing dissent: military co-optation and authoritarian consolidation in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic

Literature has shown a resurgence of authoritarianism across Africa since the early 2000s, both hybrid and fully consolidated forms, whether through democratically elected leaders consolidating power or via military coups, as recently observed in Niger, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Mali, and Guinea. This article argues that Nigeria, under the APC government, has transitioned toward authoritarianism, consolidating control through the systematic co-optation of military and security institutions and the strategic suppression of dissent. Adopting a qualitative research design based on document and content analysis, this study draws on media reports, official statements, legal frameworks, and observer reports to examine patterns of state behaviour. It focuses on the militarisation of elections, the imposition of a state of emergency in opposition strongholds such as Rivers State, and the coerced defection of key opposition figures as mechanisms of political control. The findings reveal a systematic use of institutional power, intimidation, and military co-optation to capture political space and weaken opposition mobilisation, demonstrating how formally democratic processes are subordinated to authoritarian objectives. The article identifies a shift in the operational logic of authoritarian consolidation from primarily electoral manipulation to an institutionalised reliance on coercive state power, in which military co-optation serves not only to suppress opposition but also to manage elite cohesion within the ruling coalition.