ABSTRACT
Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in the city of Lagos, this chapter interrogates the micro-politics of election-related violence in informal transport, with particular focus on the post-1999 electoral context in Nigeria. The chapter provides micro-level insights into why we see instances of election-related violence in transit spaces (i.e. motor parks) where practices of governance are exercised and contested daily. Along the way, the chapter foregrounds the interdependence between Big Men and their loyal foot soldiers, and provides some explanation for the rationale behind the latter’s engagement in violent extortion with impunity.
