Institutional Weaknesses and Corruption in Nigeria: Implications for Democratisation Amidst West Africa’s Coup Wave

democratic decline and even a possibility of replicating the experience of its neighbours where military rule has ousted civilian regimes. This paper investigates how institutional weakness and systemic corruption jointly undermine democratic legitimacy in Nigeria, creating conditions for military intervention. Drawing on institutional theory, the analysis distinguishes between inclusive and extractive institutions, arguing that Nigeria's extractive structures, rooted in colonial legacies and clientelistic democracy, enable corruption while being weakened by it, eroding citizen trust in democratic institutions. Using historical analysis, sectoral corruption examination, and youth attitude surveys, the study reveals that endemic corruption in elections, oil revenues, and security forces has devastated democratic legitimacy. Majority of the country’s population is disillusioned by democratic and governance outcomes in the country and receptive to military alternatives. The paper demonstrates that institutional decay and corruption form a vicious cycle that compromises both national democracy and regional stability given Nigeria's leadership position in West Africa. Democracy in Nigeria can be preserved only through institutional reconstruction and anti-corruption reforms that strengthen institutional independence, ensure transparency in public finances, promote inclusive governance, and anchor reforms within regional accountability frameworks. Nigeria's capacity to restore democratic legitimacy will determine both its own democratic future and the stability of democratic norms across West Africa.