Lukman that nigeria badly needed a leadership that can rescue the country from the depth of chronic indiscipline, disorder. The presidential and national assembly elections will be held on march 28, 2015. Many practices may have elements of direct democracy. Introduction 6 the ndi election observation mission 6 the new government and the crisis of legitimacy 7 the nigerian elections in. In nigerias peculiar situation, no political party was realistically placed to form the government, thereby compelling a. A revised version of this paper will appear in electoral studies, forthcoming 2009. A new constitution established a federal system with an elected prime minister and a ceremonial head of state. However, for elections to be termed democratic, it must be free and fair. Independent national electoral commission wikipedia. April 2011 elections, it became imperative to do a study on the nature, causes, dimensions and consequences of voter apathy, with a view to being adequately informed in designing future strategies to tackle its challenges in the nigerian context.
Jan 10, 2016 political history of nigeria since independence 1960 till date introduction by the time nigeria gained its independence, it was entering a period of rapid social and economic change, and many people were quite optimistic about its future. Numerous ancient african civilizations settled in the region that is today nigeria, such as the kingdom of nri, the benin empire, and the oyo empire. Nigeria was granted independence on october 1, 1960. Nigeria for independence, its history has been characterised by fighting and. Elections in nigeria dates as far back as 1959 in the first republic of the nigeria, in the general election of 1959 to determine which parties would rule in the immediate postcolonial period, the major ones won a majority of seats in their regions, but none. Revisiting the nigerian 1959 federal election the guardian. A thematic exposition eme, okechukwu innocent anthony onyishi department of public administration and local government studies university of nigeria, nsukka abstract matters of safety and security are topical issues in todays nigeria. Akinleye elections and ethnic violence in cote divoire. Elections in these countries are a tightrope walk between war and peace, stability and instability.
In a country trying to deepen democracy after a long history. Pdf the electoral process and democratic consolidation in nigeria. Nigeria has a rich history of political affairs that changed the direction of the country. General studies directorate abubakar tafawa balewa university, bauchi, nigeria email. The 2015 nigerian general elections 83 the electoral process will reassure losers of the possibility of victory in future elections, and in this way, will transform politics into a game. In 1959, there were three political parties in the country and they include the following. The history of political parties in nigeria began when the first political party in nigeria was established in 1959, the year before nigeria gained her independence from great britain. The study is limited to participation in the 1999 and 2003 nigerian elections due to lack of time in gathering materials. Comparison is made between the 1999 elections, organized by the civilian government and the 2003 elections, done under the military government.
Election, the formal process of selecting a person for public office or of accepting or rejecting a political proposition by voting. A study of some selected local government areas in ondo state, nigeria. Summary of observations and recommendations 3 recommendations 4 ii. The historic june 12, 1993 election believed to have been won by late business mogul, mko abiola was considered by many observers as the freest and fairest election in nigeria s political history. History of political parties in nigeria nigerian finder. Vote buying and violence in nigerian election campaigns. Comparative study of 2011 and 2015 presidential elections in. But there is no iron law according to which elections are doomed to fail. Only candidates and political parties can file election petitions and no viable. Electoral commission inec of nigeria, political parties, the media and civil society, including. In 2019, nigeria will hold national elections for the first time since a historic, peaceful, demo cratic transition of power to the opposition in 2015, when incumbent president goodluck jonathan of the peoples democratic party conceded defeat to muhammudu buhari. Problems and prospects of the evoting option idike, adeline nnenna, a. Additionally, countries with a history of electoral violence often experience a recurrence of such violence, as has been witnessed in kenya, nigeria, and zimbabwe. On 1, october 1960, nigeria, after several years of british colonial rule, became an independent nation.
History of political parties in nigeria will never be complete if mention is not made of the various political bigwigs in the history of this country. There have been a number of success stories in the past two decades. Adequate participation in electoral processes is therefore an important way to secure youths inclusion in and contribution to the democratic process. Thus far, elections have served the interests mainly of the powerful elite and have. Pdf this paper examines election rigging and its effect on democratic. The history of nigeria can be traced to prehistoric settlers nigerians living in the area as early as 1100 bc. The federal electoral commission fedeco, established in 1960 conducted the immediate postindependence federal and regional elections of 1964 and 1965. Nigerias 2019 elections united states institute of peace. Ahistoryofnigeria assets cambridge university press. Nigeria department of field support cartographic section map no. In view of this, the thrust of this paper is a reflection on the tides of electoral violence and the attendant precipitating factors that make free and fair election pretty difficult in nigeria. The 1999 elections, which brought a retired general, olusegun. Oloyede oluyemi national bureau of statistics nbs, abuja, nigeria abstract nigeria has been recording low participation of women in both elective and appointive positions. Nigeria, july 2008 2 of slaves flowed north across the sahara for a millennium, ending only at the beginning of the twentieth century.
On this page you can read or download history of education in nigeria pdf in pdf format. An interactive version of each map is also available, letting you change history. If you dont see any interesting for you, use our search form on bottom v. Geographical, historical and political profiles of nigeria. Action congress of nigeria acn congress for progressive change cpc peoples democratic party pdp 2011 nigerian presidential election results by state. The nigerian elections of april 2007 were judged by most observers to fall a long way short of the standards for credible, free and fair elections and to be the worst in nigeria s postindependence, electoral history. Voters elected the president and members to the house of representatives and the senate. Sep 11, 2017 revisiting the nigerian 1959 federal election. An appraisal of precipitating factors in nigeria olayiwola victor ojo m sc political science, university of ilorin, ilorin, nigeria abstract nigerias electoral politics from independence has been tumultuous. Library of congress federal research division country profile. Pdf as nigeria moves closer to its 2015 elections, there are concerns that the elections, like the previous ones, will be marred by violence.
Nov 23, 2015 transforming secondary education in nigeria junior secondary school council waec launched the senior secondary education curriculum. Abstract this paper examined the extent to which the citizens are involved in political activities. Electoral politics in the fourth republic of nigerias democratic. This post is about the governmental and political history of nigeria. General information on lagos state, nigeria history of lagos lagos state, nigeria was created on may 27, 1967 by virtue of state creation and transitional provisions decree no. However, the implication of nigeria s electoral history for the enthronement of a democratic order is yet to be exhaustively explored. Political leadership and corruption in nigeria since 1960. For decades, ensuring youth turnout on election day has been a key focus for electoral management bodies embs.
This newly formed country would go on to become a republic three years down the line on 1, october, 1963. Nigeria, sudan and rwanda in african development by r. The independent national electoral commission inec was established by the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of nigeria to among other things organize elections into various political offices in. Final ndi report on nigerias 2007 elections table of contents i. We focused our empirical verification on two key areas. In fact, recent manifestations of electoral violence, most importantly since the birth of the fourth republic in 1999 have assumed an unprecedented magnitude and changing form, resulting in instability in democratic consolidation as well as the loss and displacement of many innocent lives. The political and governmental history of nigeria nigerian. However, the risk of a relapse into war and violence is considerable. Elections in nigeria can be traced to as far back as the year 1923 when the country faced first.
History and development of political parties in nigeria. These topic pages provide a quick overview and easy access to all content that can be found on ace for any give topic of interest weather encyclopaedia files, electoral materials, comparative data, consolidated replies, case studies, or other. What is your overall assessment of the elections in nigeria. A brief history of the fourth republic elections and politics. History of the nigerian armed forces nigeria s armed forces are one of the largest and most proficient in africa ihonvbere, 1994. The origin of the inec goes back to the period before independence when the electoral commission of nigeria was established to conduct 1959 elections. Objectives of the study the general aim of this paper is to examine the nature of the 2015 presidential election and the major factors that made the outcome of the election different from the previous presidential elections in the country. Apr 26, 2018 history of elections in nigeria nigeria has a rich history of political affairs that changed the direction of the country. Nigerias military ruled the country for nearly 30 of 40 yrs of independence. Abstract this paper investigates comparative study of 2011 and 2015 presidential elections in nigeria with specific focus on the fourth republic, from the comparative analysis perspectives. Aside from a legislative and technical change in 1963 in nigeria s official title from a commonwealth domain whose head of state was the queen of england, to the present title federal republic of nigeria, civilians have never been in charge of nigeria s constitution making exercises.
Electoral violence and the survival of democracy in nigeria. Nigerian democratic process has endured a cheaqured history is irrefutable, as research has shown. This is a particularly important moment in africas history. Electoral reforms and democratic stability in nigeria. This page links to the results of those historical elections, including a larger map, results and synopsis of the race. An analysis grace malachi brown, phd department of history and diplomatic studies faculty of humanities rivers state university of education pmb 5047, rumuolumeni port harcourt, rivers state nigeria. Nigeria became a federal republic, modelling its federal. The historical trajectory of electoral process in the post colonial nigerian is characterised by violence. The idea for a west african community goes back to president william tubman of liberia, who made the. In switzerland, many important political decisions on issues, including public health, energy, and employment, are subject to a vote by the country s citizens. It is important to distinguish between the form and the substance of elections. Nigerias history of electoral violence is, for many, an unfortunately accepted fact.
Islam reached nigeria through the borno empire between 1068 bc and hausa states around 85 ad during the 11th century, while. The research was made possible owing to the participation of the following individuals and regional. Introduction 6 the ndi election observation mission 6 the new government and the crisis of legitimacy 7 the nigerian elections in the regional context 8. These practices are forms of direct democracy, expressing the will of a large population. Monitoring participation of women in politics in nigeria paper presented by mrs. Electoral politics in the fourth republic of nigerias democratic governance oni samuel ph. The elections have dispelled quite a number of longheld myths about nigeria in terms of their outcome. Nigerias 2011 polls will mark the fourth multiparty election in nigeria and, if a power. In the 2011 general elections in nigeria, the independent national election commission inec, the electoral management body emb that organized the elections pulled what may pass as an electoral feat in achieving one of the most open, credible, peaceful and transparent elections within nigeria. Its seven most populous cities each house more than one million people, and about one out of two west africans is from nigeria. To view maps and results from all prior presidential elections on a single page, see this historical elections timeline. Aside discussing the political parties in nigeria, this write up will equally discuss about the political history of nigeria. This thesis is focused on participation in nigerian elections. National council of nigeria and the cameroons ncnc.
Thus far, elections have served the interests mainly of the powerful elite and have had little, if any, signiicant impact on. Ecowas affairs history and background the economic community of west african states ecowas was established on 28th may, 1975, in lagos, nigeria. The governorship and state house of assembly elections will be held on april 11, 2015. The study becomes imperative following the deteriorating of the democratic process in nigeria. Prior to this, lagos municipality had been administered by the federal government through the. The role of elections in emerging democracies and post. The theoretical framework for the study is cultural relativism. Not many people know about the first general election in nigeria that happened 96 years ago. Nigeria adopted a new legal framework for the 2011 elections following amendments to the electoral act and constitution in late 2010 and early 2011.
Fortyone of the on july 19, 2011, the international peace institute ipi hosted a roundtable discussion on elections. Geographical, historical and political profiles of nigeria 1. Electoral politics in the fourth republic of nigerias. Final ndi report on nigeria s 2007 elections table of contents i. Ahistoryofnigeria nigeria is africas most populous country and the worlds eighth largest oil producer, but its success has been undermined in recent decades by ethnic and religious con. Breaking the cycle of electoral violence in nigeria. General elections were held in nigeria on 28 and 29 march 2015, the fifth quadrennial election to be held since the end of military rule in 1999. The mass media and the struggle for democracy in africa.
According to inec, nigerias electoral body, 68, 833, 476 nigerians will be eligible to vote in the 2015 general elections this day, 2015 from proposal. The ncnc, now headed by azikiwe who had taken control after macaulays death in 1946, formed a coalition with balewas npc after neither party won a majority in the 1959 elections. Vote buying and violence in nigerian election campaigns 1 by michael bratton june 2008 michael bratton is university distinguished professor in the political science department at michigan state university and senior adviser msu of the afrobarometer. Journal of nigeria studies volume 1, number 2, fall 2012 political leadership and corruption in nigeria since 1960. The paper concludes that for nigeria to experience sustainable socioeconomic. Corruption, godfatherism and the funding of political violence. The national elections held in 2015 marked the first time in nigeria s history that it saw a peaceful transfer of power between two political parties. To win the vote, a presidential candidate must obtain an absolute majority or at least 25 percent of the ballots in twothirds of the countrys 36 states. Nigeria is a famous country with more than one hundred and forty million population. Nigeria is the most populous cou ntry in africa, the second biggest economy, the third largest military power and the biggest oil producer 10th oil producer in the world. Introduction nigeria and nigerians have been caught in the frenzy of centenary celebration.
The nationalists used the media in fighting the demons called colonial masters out of their territory. Above all, almost all the elections conducted by postcolonial nigeria had been characterized by electoral malpractices. The elections provided kenyans with the first real opportunity to replace a serving president with a new one through the ballot, because the then president had ser ved his second and last fiveyear term in. Toyin falola, a leading historian intimately acquainted. Nigeria s election below the minimum democracy standard. Nigeria unveiled, which painted the picture of nigerias econo. The nigerian political economy in transition sani musa february 2006 the military handed over power to a civilian administration on may 29th 1999 with the inauguration of president olusegun obasanjo and 36 civilian state governors. Pdf the 2019 presidential election is one of the most keenly and closely contested in the history of nigerian presidential elections since the. Political parties in nigeria are institutions set up for healthy competition among those vying for particular government offices in the land and there is a need to know and understand how nigerian politics and political parties have evolved by looking into the history of political parties in nigeria. Elections in nigeria can be traced to as far back as the year 1923 when the country faced first general elections ever. The study adopted both qualitative and quantitative means of data collection. Within nigeria, slavery was widespread and bore social implications that are still evident. The media has been of great importance in nigeria history, since preindependent. In some cases, electoral forms are present but the substance of an election is.
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