Geographical, historical and political profiles of nigeria. Many of the first republic politicians were not corrupt since the majority of them came into politics with ideologies and principles. Nigerian democratic process has endured a cheaqured history is irrefutable, as research has shown. Nigeria has a long history, with its roots in early civilisations of distinguished artistry. So, it is safe to say that over the years in nigeria, our bitter experience is that nigerias political history has been characterised by electoral violence, fraudulent. General elections were held in nigeria on 23 february 2019 to elect the president, vice president, house of representatives and the senate. Causes of electoral violence in africa written by ngah. 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. Election, the formal process of selecting a person for public office or of accepting or rejecting a political proposition by voting.
Nigeria electoral trends 8 the 2019 general election is by far the largest in nigeria s political history. Pdf the electoral process and democratic consolidation in nigeria. Geographical, historical and political profiles of nigeria 1. Throughout the electioneering period, religious and ethnic affiliations did not influence voting patterns of nigerians. 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 nigerias political history. However, the election was infamously annulled by the military dictator, general ibrahim babangida. And come 17th or 18th of february, either of the two contenders would emerge victorious. From george washingtons uncontested run for president to the divisive campaigns of 2016, see an overview of all the presidential elections in u. The electoral process and democratic consolidation in nigeria. After independence, nigeria has practiced different forms of government until it eventually became a democratic nation. April 2003 presidential election registered voters 60,823,022. Politics and election in ondo state5endnotes12chapter two. It has been confirmed that nigeria is one of the most religious. In 1215, english nobles pressured king john of england to sign a document known as the magna carta, a key step on the road to constitutional democracy.
The implication perspective frankcollins nnamdi okafor associate professor and head, department of political science, nnamdi azikiwe university, nigeria abstract following the outbursts of violence in previous elections in nigeria, fears have been. Godfatherism, kaduna mafia and democrazy political violence in nigeria is. The nigerian electoral process in perspective elections under colonial rule before independence in 1960, nigeria, which existed as an amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates since 1914, had already witnessed three different elections. Electoral reforms and the administration of the 2015 general. History of general elections in nigeria from 1999 till. He has a truly national mandate which is overwhelming. To gain weight and conform with african standards of beauty, nigerian girls can consume food all day in fattening rooms. It was in on the 1 st of october 1960, when nigeria publicly announced her independence from great britain, and it officially became a republic. Elections make a fundamental contribution to democratic governance. Electoral commission inec of nigeria, political parties, the media and civil. Because direct democracya form of government in which political decisions are made directly by the entire body of qualified citizensis impractical in most modern societies, democratic government must be conducted through representatives. According to several international and national political analysts, the forthcoming presidential election would be the most keenly contested election in the democratic history of nigeria. On 1, october 1960, nigeria, after several years of british colonial rule, became an independent nation.
Introduction nigeria and nigerians have been caught in the frenzy of centenary celebration. The two of them assumed reigns of leadership due to the partnership that was foisted between the national congress of nigeria and cameroun and the northern peoples congress in 1959 during the general election that was held then to choose the president, prime. Although the years since nigerias 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. A parliamentary election was held in nigeria on 9 april 2011. What are your thoughts on the state of democracy in the west african region. 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. In 1959, there were three political parties in the country and they include the following. Fortyone of the on july 19, 2011, the international peace institute ipi hosted a roundtable discussion on elections. The history of nigeria can be traced to prehistoric settlers nigerians living in the area as early as 1100 bc. Permit me to cite these cases in an unchronological order. The origin of the inec goes back to the period before independence when the electoral commission of nigeria was established to conduct 1959 elections. Read below and see the main stages and dates of the history of democracy in nigeria. Nigeria has a rich history of political affairs that changed the direction of the country.
Being a democratic country only for the past 20 years, it still has a long way toward a truly democratic system. However, for elections to be termed democratic, it must be free and fair. The research did not include terrorist attacks by islamic or militant groups with. Islam reached nigeria through the borno empire between 1068 bc and hausa states around 85 ad during the 11th century, while. The plateau area around jos was a meeting point for cultural influences from the upper niger valley where agriculture developed independently as early as 5000 bce and from egypt. 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. Many eyes are now set on elections in nigeria, which will happen soon. Nigerias history of electoral violence is, for many, an unfortunately accepted fact of life. 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 the country. The elections, which welcomed back democracy to nigeria has succeeded in birthing another two separate terms totally eight years of uninterrupted democracy with former military ruler, general olusegun obasanjo rtd.
Biafra, nigeria, the west and the world the colonial and precolonial eras in nigeria. Perhaps because of the experience i personally had in 2011 about electoral violence which i. A historical perspective of electoral commissions in nigeria. Election riggings in nigeria have dealt a huge blow to the development of democracy in nigeria.
Right now, nigeria presidential election is the hot topic in the country. After the 1964 elections, came the 1965 western region election. Library of congress federal research division country profile. The worldwide outcry at sarowiwas death, without any pretence of a fair trial, prompts nigeria s generals to offer new elections in 1999. O abiola and alhaji bashir tofa17election, election. Electoral commissions and the conduct of elections in nigeria. The political and governmental history of nigeria nigerian. Fortyone of the on july 19, 2011, the international peace institute ipi hosted a. National council of nigeria and the cameroons ncnc. The history of nigerian elections appears to reflect the above characteristics. Monitoring participation of women in politics in nigeria paper presented by mrs. Additionally, countries with a history of electoral violence often experience a recurrence of such violence, as has been witnessed in kenya, nigeria, and zimbabwe.
Aside discussing the political parties in nigeria, this write up will equally discuss about the political history of nigeria. Nigeria s election below the minimum democracy standard. The federal electoral commission fec, established in 1960 conducted the immediate postindependence federal and regional elections of 1964 and 1965 respectively. 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. History of nigeria including historic regions, fulani and sokoto, british explorers, ss alburkah, trade and antislavery, british colonial rule, independence and secession, from oil wealth to disaster. The elections had initially been scheduled for 16 february, but the electoral commission postponed the vote by a week at 03. It was the first time in the history of nigeria that an incumbent president lost an election. This election will go down in history as the elections that have finally put nigeria on an inexorable path of democracy and development, unity and cohesion. Nigeria election 2019 latest news, analysis and videos cnn. The military and the nigerian societybackground to june 12 election of 199314the emergence of chief m. Nigeria was granted independence on october 1, 1960. The theoretical framework for the study is cultural relativism.
Causes of electoral violence in africa written by ngah gabriel sous dir. In some cases, electoral forms are present but the substance of an election is. Apr 26, 2018 history of elections in nigeria nigeria has a rich history of political affairs that changed the direction of the country. Nigeria has a rough and complicated political history. Pdf the electoral process and democratic consolidation. The history of elections in nigeria at the presidential level has shown that incumbent presidents always. The 1999 elections in nigeria whether free and fair would go a long way in the history of democracy in nigeria. A robust civil society, independent media, a sound public administration, and an independent. The federal electoral commission fedeco, established in 1960 conducted the immediate postindependence federal and regional elections of 1964 and 1965.
It will be analyzed via content and historical analysis. Elections in nigeria can be traced to as far back as the year 1923 when the country faced first general elections ever. The electoral frauds that were committed remained indelible in the annals of nigeria history. 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. Not many people know about the first general election in nigeria that happened 96 years ago. From historical insight, the institutional foundations of elections in nigeria. Oloyede oluyemi national bureau of statistics nbs, abuja, nigeria abstract nigeria has been recording low participation of women in both elective and appointive positions. Elections in nigeria are forms of choosing representatives to the nigerian federal government. History of general elections in nigeria from 1999 till date. This post is about the governmental and political history of nigeria. 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. The origin of electoral bodies in nigeria can be traced to the period before independence when the electoral commission of nigeria ecn was established to conduct 1959 elections. Elections in nigeria can be traced to as far back as the year 1923 when the country faced first.
Nigeria adopted a new legal framework for the 2011 elections following amendments to the electoral act and constitution in late 2010 and early 2011. A new constitution established a federal system with an elected prime minister and a ceremonial head of state. Rickey tarfa, san,1 introduction prior to the colonial era, the different political units which subsequently made up nigeria had various unique and different ways of appointing their leaders. The future of the country depends on the upcoming political decision. By doing so, the king acknowledged he was bound by law, like others, and granted his subjects legal rights. Consolidating nigerian democracy through the conduct of credible elections has remained an albatross. History and development of political parties in nigeria. Nigeria has the capacity to deal with occasional incidents, infringements of law and order. An appraisal of precipitating factor s in nigeria olayiwola victor ojo m sc political science, university of ilorin, ilorin, nigeria abstract nigeria s electoral politics from independence has been tumultuous. Please remember, nigeria is a nation that fought a civil war sixseven years after independence and survived. Nigeria and is a major repository of knowledge, history and tracking of legal regime for elections in nigeria. Mar 21, 2020 nigeria s movie production industry, nicknamed nollywood, is the secondlargest in the world by volume. Presidential elections 19992011 in figures vanguard news. It is important to distinguish between the form and the substance of elections.
Journal of nigeria studies volume 1, number 2, fall 2012 political leadership and corruption in nigeria since 1960. Corruption in nigeria has been a prevalent issue for decades. To varying degrees, every election in nigerias modern history has experienced violence. Elections in nigeria are forms of choosing representatives to the nigerian federal government and the various states in the fourth republic nigeria. There are 73 presidential candidates and 1,008 people seeking to be state governors. Within nigeria, slavery was widespread and bore social implications that are still evident. Political leadership and corruption in nigeria since 1960. Out of these five elections, the first four elections were, expectedly, won by the peoples democratic party pdp, which, during this. History of political parties in nigeria nigerian finder. The first general elections happened in a democratic nigeria in 1999 and they brought to power the former military head of. History of electoral violence in nigeria notable cases 1. Nigeria, july 2008 2 of slaves flowed north across the sahara for a millennium, ending only at the beginning of the twentieth century. This is a particularly important moment in africas history. History of democracy in nigeria and when did nigeria.
In september, the first election took place in lagos and calabar. This paper examines election rigging and its effect on democratic consolidation in nigeria relying on qualitative approach, using data gathered from secondary sources. The ceremonial president of nigeria then was nnamdi azikiwe, while the prime minister was sir abubakar tafawa balewa. The first election in 1959 ushered in nigeria s first civilian government led by its first and only prime minister to date, abubakar tafawa balewa.
The politicians aiming to consign africas old guard to history. 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 emerged powerful enough to constitute a national government. O abiola and alhaji bashir tofa17election, election result and annulment of june. Get the latest news and the headlines on the nigerian election on cnn. Historical background and development of the nigeria press in the political arena the historical background and development of the nigerian press commenced with the printing media on 3 rd december 1859 by a christian missionary named reverend henry townsend who established the first newspaper in nigeria called iwe iroyin fun awon egba ati.
This newly formed country would go on to become a republic three years down the line on 1, october, 1963. Pdf the electoral process and democratic consolidation in. The presidential election is won by olusegun obasanjo, by now a civilian but for three years from 1976 the military ruler of the country and therefore widely assumed to be the armys preferred candidate. History of elections in nigeria nigeria has a rich history of political affairs that changed the direction of the country. 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. 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. 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. Mapping, evolution and patterns june 2006 may 2014 executive summary an analysis of the nigeria watch database for the period between june 2006 and may 2014 revealed 915 fatal incidents related to elections. Nigerias 2019 elections united states institute of peace. However, the implication of nigeria s electoral history for the enthronement of a democratic order is yet to be exhaustively explored.
Nigeria is a famous country with more than one hundred and forty million population. Other electoral management bodies embs had existed before the advent of the independent. The recent 2016 post election crisis in gabon12 that left scores dead seems to shows that electoral violence is an intractable phenomenon on the. Independent national electoral commission wikipedia. Nigeria has the highest rate of twin births per year globally. History the origin of the inec goes back to the period before independence when the electoral commission of nigeria was established to conduct 1959 elections. 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 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.
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