This study examined United States foreign aid and political development in Nigeria with emphasis on strengthening democracy and capacity building for civil societies. The objective of the study is to analyze how the US foreign aid has impacted democratic institutions and political development in Nigeria. The qualitative descriptive analysis method was adopted and secondary and primary data were used. Experts on US Foreign Aids were interviewed to complement data obtained from secondary sources including books, journals, articles, magazines, national dailies, the internet and other official documents containing the relevant information required for success of this research work. The study finds that U.S. assistance to Nigerians has contributed to the strengthening of democratic institutions, promotion of good governance and empowering of Civil Society Organizations to play a substantial role in preserving democracy and good governance. However, there are still challenges of democratic development in the country, which need to be addressed. The study recommends that Nigeria needs to strengthen its partnership with the United States government, and intensify effort towards improving institutional capacity building for the overall political development, good governance and development

Keywords: Capacity Building, Civil Society, Democratic Development, Foreign Aid, Political Development