THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY ORGANIZATIONS IN ENHANCING POLITICAL PARTICIPATION AND ELECTORAL INTEGRITY: EVIDENCE FROM CHANCHAGA LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Abstract

The study explores the influence of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on political participation in Chanchaga Local Government, Niger State. CSOs, as non-governmental and non-profit entities, play a vital role in fostering civic engagement, promoting inclusive governance, and influencing public policy. The study adopted Liberal theory of Civil Society as a framework. This research investigates the extent to which CSOs drive political awareness, mobilize citizens, and advocate for democratic processes. The study adopted survey research design, involving 379 distributed questionnaires. The data were analyzed using SPSS (Version 25.0). The findings reveal that CSOs significantly enhance political participation by increasing awareness, fostering public engagement, and amplifying marginalized voices. The study recommends strengthening partnerships between CSOs and government institutions to deepen civic participation and promote sustainable democratic governance.