This paper examined the roles the civil society played in ensuring the success of the 2015 general elections in Nigeria. The paper employed qualitative research method hinged on obtaining information from secondary sources including: Books, scholarly articles and newspaper reports. The research averred that general elections in Nigeria had always resulted into violent conflict, the consequences of which had resulted to the terminations of the first two republics in Nigeria. The elections held in the fourth republic preceding the 2015 general elections also toed the lines of the elections in the earlier republics as they were also largely characterized by different forms of electoral violent conflicts. However, the roles played by the civil society before, during and after the 2015 general elections and the then incumbent President Good luck Jonathan’s magnanimity to gracefully consent to defeat contributed immensely to the smooth transfer of power, the very first of its kind in Nigeria. The study advocated that future elections should build on the successes recorded in the 2015 general elections. Inter alia, the study recommended that the civil society in Nigeria should be further strengthened to participate more effectively in future elections in order to ensure democratic consolidation in the country.

Keywords : civil society, elections, fourth republic, democratic consolidation.