The period since 1999 has been marked by an extraordinary progress towards the consolidation of democracy in nigeria oyovbaire, 2008. The origin of the inec goes back to the period before independence when the electoral commission of nigeria was established to conduct 1959 elections. A brief history of general elections in nigeria 1999 to 2019 since 1999, when chief olusegun obasanjo became the first substantive democraticallyelected president, there have been five general elections. A study of nigerias independent national electoral commission 19992011, unpublished phd dissertation, department of political science, ahmadu bello university, zaria. Abiola the supposed winner to emerge as a president by the. This page links to the results of those historical elections, including a larger map, results and synopsis of the race. Throughout the long years of colonial and military rule in nigeria, democratic aspira tion has been a. Elections in nigeria can be traced to as far back as the year 1923 when the country faced first general elections ever. 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. Election riggings in nigeria have dealt a huge blow to the development of democracy in nigeria. The part also highlights a number of post election issues. Election, the formal process of selecting a person for public office or of accepting or rejecting a political proposition by voting.
The riot is a pointer to the strong linkage between politics, religion and ethnicity in nigeria. A brief history of the fourth republic elections and politics. Several dominant themes in nigerian history are essential for understanding contemporary nigerian politics and society. Inec was established by section 153 of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of nigeria as a corporate body with perpetual. What is your overall assessment of the elections in nigeria. Commission inec to guide the 2019 general elections in nigeria.
Many practices may have elements of direct democracy. In some cases, electoral forms are present but the substance of an election is missing, as when voters do not have a free and genuine choice between at least two alternatives. Indeed, there has been a linear relationship between nigeria s history of election administration and the inability to enthrone a democratic order in the country. Then came the 1993 elections in history of elections in nigeria, the l99 elections is seen as the most free and fair elections ever conducted in nigeria general ibrahim babangida, who overthrew the general buharis government, organized an inconclusive transition that was perceived in some quarters to deny a yoruba, chief m. The research concludes that, the 2015 presidential election is different to some extent with the previous presidential elections in nigeria as a. An election was held between five political parties but alhaji shehu shagari of the national party of nigeria npn won the 1979 election. But post election violence claimed 800 lives over three days in northern nigeria and displaced 65,000 people, making the elections the most violent in nigeria s history.
The methodology adopted for this work is the use of qualitative data where a case study was adopted. Independent national electoral commission wikipedia. At least eighteen candidates, including buhari, declared their intention to run for president. As the campaign for the federal election heated up during the second half of 1964, all of the energy of nigerian politics was sucked into the vortex of ethnoregional conflict. With the exception of the north central region, where 68% of the respondents indicated that elections are important, other regions recorded a relatively higher positive response. Aside discussing the political parties in nigeria, this write up will equally discuss about the political history of nigeria. The role of elections in emerging democracies and postconflict countries key issues, lessons learned and dilemmas elections have become a major factor in the stabilisation and democratisation of emerging democracies and postconflict countries. Problems and prospects of the evoting option idike, adeline nnenna, a. Nigeria adopted a new legal framework for the 2011 elections following amendments to the electoral act and constitution in late 2010 and early 2011. Monitoring participation of women in politics in nigeria paper presented by mrs. Pdf the 2019 presidential election is one of the most keenly and closely contested in the history of nigerian presidential elections since the. On april 9, 2018, president buhari announced he would run for a second term. Although elections are now more regular in nigeria, the quality of these elections is a. Thus the two, electoral politics and fraud are almost like siasme twins.
History of general elections in nigeria from 1999 till. Nigeria as a result of the influence of political behaviour and voting pattern of the electorates. This report on political parties in africa is part of the programme of research and dialogue on political parties undertaken by the international institute for democracy and electoral assistance idea during the years 20042006. Nnamdi azikiwe became the first president of independent nigeria, with sir. Political leadership and corruption in nigeria since 1960. Not many people know about the first general election in nigeria that happened 96 years ago. Best run, but most violent summary nigeria s 2011 general election received high praise for being wellmanaged. The successful conduct of the 2011 elections marked a turning point in the countrys.
A historical perspective of electoral commissions in nigeria. The first set of political parties to be formed in nigeria was formed. Although, political analysts have argued that only two elections in nigeria 1959 and 1979 can be exonerated from systematic rigging. Election in nigeria relies on two major legal documents which are the 1999.
It was then called niger area, after a long usage it was shortened to nigeria yesufu, 1982. As the current secretariat for the nigeria civil society situation room, policy and legal advocacy centre plac has worked closely with. A revised version of this paper will appear in electoral studies, forthcoming 2009. The history of electoral politics is synonymous with electoral fraud in nigeria. The mass media and the struggle for democracy in africa. Nigeria s election below the minimum democracy standard. It will be analyzed via content and historical analysis. Fortyone of the on july 19, 2011, the international peace institute ipi hosted a roundtable discussion on elections. 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.
These include conditions precedent to ling election petitions, contents of. Nigerias 2007 elections united states institute of peace. A presidential election was held in nigeria on 16 april 2011, postponed from 9 april 2011. Because of the country s history of electoral fraud, elections often have been associated with political tension, crisis, and even violence. 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. To view maps and results from all prior presidential elections on a single page, see. Competitive elections, in addition to being expensive and wasteful, are increasingly being manipulated by political parties, propaganda machines and clever demagoguery. It is important to distinguish between the form and the substance of elections. Out of these five elections, the first four elections were, expectedly, won by the peoples democratic party pdp, which, during this. Elections were therefore held in 312 single member constituencies nationwide. Oloyede oluyemi national bureau of statistics nbs, abuja, nigeria abstract nigeria has been recording low participation of women in both elective and appointive positions. Nigerias history of electoral violence is, for many, an unfortunately accepted fact. Electoral commissions and the conduct of elections in nigeria.
Vote buying and violence in nigerian election campaigns. The federal electoral commission fedeco, established in 1960 conducted the immediate postindependence federal and regional elections of 1964 and 1965. Nigeria s flag consists of three equal vertical bands of green, white, and green. The other political parties were unity party of nigeria upn led by chief obafemi awolowo, the nigerian peoples party npp led by alhaji waziri ibrahim, and the peoples redemption party prp led by alhaji. In the first republic, the last governorgeneral of nigeria, dr. This is a particularly important moment in africas history. Indeed, one outstanding feature of nigeria s various.
Nigeria is largely seen as a history of electoral fraud and violence. The high level of success of nigeria s 2015 general elections was unexpected, considering the difficult political and security environment in which the elections were conducted. Nigerias 2019 elections united states institute of peace. 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. Pdf the electoral process and democratic consolidation in nigeria. An interactive version of each map is also available, letting you change history. Elections in nigeria have, since independence, been increasingly contentious and confrontational, largely because of acts such as election rigging and manipulating the rules of the electoral contest, which have covertly or overtly corrupted the electoral procedures.
These practices are forms of direct democracy, expressing the will of a large population. 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. Historic tensions between north and south and between the igbos and their ethnic rivals now reasserted themselves with a vengeance. General impression of election process and elected officials in nigeria at least four out of five respondents affirmed that elections are important in nigeria. However, for elections to be termed democratic, it must be free and fair.
Governmental and political history of nigeria the first republic. The elections have dispelled quite a number of longheld myths about nigeria in terms of their outcome. However, the implication of nigeria s electoral history for the. Nigeria has a rich history of political affairs that changed the direction of the country. Tafawa balewa serving as the first and only prime minister of the country the government of the first republic did not last as it came to a halt via several coup attempts with the first. The research was made possible owing to the participation of the following individuals and regional. History of political parties in nigeria nigerian finder.
Within this volume is the complete reproduction of the legal framework governing elections in nigeria. Through 2016, there have been 58 presidential elections. The elections will be conducted by nigeria s election management body, the independent national electoral commission inec. First, the spread of islam, predominantly in the north but later in southwestern nigeria as well, began a. Election managers thus continuously face formidable challenges to keep. The proposed adoption of evoting in nigeria by the electoral body. More than a dozen such elections will take place in 2010 and early 2011. The issues and challenges jideofor adibe, senior lecturer, nasarawa state university. In switzerland, many important political decisions on issues, including public health, energy, and employment, are subject to a vote by the country s citizens. Additionally, countries with a history of electoral violence often experience a recurrence of such violence, as has been witnessed in kenya, nigeria, and zimbabwe. Military, nigeria and new management elites introduction the name nigeria was said to have been coined by the british colonialists to describe the vast land around the river niger and its basin. The role of elections in emerging democracies and post. Although the years since nigeria s return to civilian rule in 1999 have seen an increased interest in its history and politics, nigeria remains one of the most underresearched african countries.
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