The paper is concerned with the social characteristics of the Nigerian political executive elite that affect democratic governance amid important post-colonial structural transformations. Liberal pluralists assume positive links between structural transformations and elite character change towards democratic governance. To what extent does the Nigerian post-colonial executive elite's composite nature affect democratic governance as political regime and economic resources alter? The objective is to verify the extent the Nigerian political executive elite's composite outlook affects democratic governance amid structural changes. The paper contends no significant elite character change towards democratic governance despite structural changes. Historically and dynamically intertwined elite social origins with entrenched interests and unaccountable conducts contribute to undercut democratic governance. After expounding on the liberal pluralist structural change proposition about elite character change towards democracy, it draws on critical elite perspectives to show its explanatory flaws in a structurally changing post-colonial state dominated by adaptively resilient elite features.
