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Waning Public Trust and Executive Governance in Nigeria: The Buhari/APC Experience

Fidelis A. E. PAKI PhD, Epoweide I. KOKO PhD

Abstract

It was extremely difficult for the Buhari-led All Progressives Congress government in Nigeria to keep the public's faith. Public confidence, a need for democratic stability and effective leadership, was steadily declining during this period due to a combination of perceived corruption, inconsistent policies, insecurity, and subpar institutional performance. This study examines the mechanisms of waning public trust in Nigeria's executive governance in order to situate the research within the broader discussion on accountability, legitimacy, and democratic consolidation in developing democracies. The study highlights the challenges the Buhari/APC government experienced in regaining public trust in state institutions and is based on secondary data sources such policy reports, media evaluations, and academic contributions. Despite early promises of change, anti-corruption, security, and economic diversification programs were either only partially implemented or failed to yield any discernible results, which undermined confidence in the leadership. According to the report, the decline in public trust has an effect on political participation, the sustainability of Nigeria's democratic experiment, and the effectiveness of government. It highlights the need for more significant institutional reforms, transparency, and participatory policymaking in order to regain executive legitimacy. By critically examining the Buhari/APC experience, the paper contributes to the growing body of research on African governance problems and makes recommendations for reevaluating leadership accountability in Nigeria's democratic journey.

Keywords

Public Trust; Executive Governance; Buhari; APC; Nigeria

References

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