Abstract
Democracy in principles and practice, guarantees popular participation and robust representation of the peoples' interests and will because the majority opinion, at any time, represents the peoples' opinions. However, since the late 1950s and early 1960s when West African states achieved political independence, the opposite seems to be the case. Insecurity in the form of intra-state insurgencies and cross-border terrorism has continued to ravage most states in the region. Multifaceted factors such as climate change, religious extremism, and quest to annex new territories have contributed to rendering these democracies ineffective in protecting the lives and properties of citizens. Roles of compradors and stooges of imperialists that are installed as political leaders have even compounded the poor social and economic realities of the citizenry. Hence, renewed political consciousness and the intellectual push to achieve renascent Africa have spurred young revolutionary military officers to revert to coup d'états in order to achieve renewed hope amongst the populace. Thus, it is pertinent to focus on whether the western style democracy has failed in bringing about social and economic development in West African states. Basically, this study seeks to examine; (a) the factors behind the third wave of coups in West African states; and (b) the failure of Western-style democracy in West Africa. This study relies on the Marxian theory of post-colonial state. The study adopts the ex post facto research design. Data were generated through documentary method, and analyzed through the content analysis and logical deduction.