The data for this paper were generated from a crosssectional survey conducted from june to july, 2009. Nigeria is so giant that people say that as nigeria goes. The nigerian national alliance nna was composed of the npc, akintolas westernbased nigerian national democratic party, and opposition parties. Election riggings in nigeria were evident in 1964 1965, 1979, 1983,1993,1999,2003 and 2007 general elections. Last new years day, the federation of nigeria appeared on the point of constitutional chaos and national disintegration. The 2015 ge neral elections in nigeria shall go down in the countrys anna ls of electoral process as the most historic and revolutionar y. Nigeria was granted independence on october 1, 1960. The volatile political scene leading up to elections in 1964 was ominous.
Between 1960 the year of independence and 1966 the year of first military coup, many events of great political importance had taken place. Independent national electoral commission wikipedia. Election riggings in nigeria were evident in 19641965, 1979, 1983,1993,1999, 2003 and 2007 general elections. Also, there were gross irregularities in the conduct of the elections that precipitated the military to stage a coup that ended nigeria s first democratic experiment. Activities the observer group initially arrived in nigeria on 7 february 2015, just prior to the announcement of the rescheduling of the elections which was announced the same day. The 2011 election season in nigeria, which kicked off on april 9 with the national assembly polls, followed by presidential elections on april 19, is in its final stretch. The federal parliamentary election campaign in december 1964 the first since independencewas contested by two political alliances incorporating all the major parties. The forgotten political crisis of 1964 and the coup of 1966. Nigeria adopted a new legal framework for the 2011 elections following amendments to the electoral act and constitution in late 2010 and early 2011.
The role the media played in the 2007 elections was similar to the contributions the press made toward the 19641965 postelection crises that later culminated in the collapse of the nigerian first republic in 1966. Historically, elections in nigeria have been very violent and bitter. Apr 26, 2018 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. Nigeria struggles against unemployment, extreme poverty. Nigerias political, social, and economic development has been largely influenced by the civil war, or biafran war, that occurred between 1967 and 1970. What this means is that the way she conducts her elections serves as an example to other african democracies. The election saw most parties run as part of alliances, the nigerian national alliance the northern peoples congress, the nigerian national democratic party, the midwest. The commonwealth observer group for the 20 september 2011 elections was led by h. Nigeria unveiled, which painted the picture of nigerias econo. Barback, director of the nigerian institute of social and economic research, who gave me every help.
Nigerias crisis of legitimacy can only be overcome by a strong commitment to political reform and concrete efforts to strengthen the countrys democratic institutions. General studies directorate abubakar tafawa balewa university, bauchi, nigeria email. 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. Through the elections, nigerians had the opportunity either to choose. A parliamentary election was held in nigeria on 9 april 2011. However, the implication of nigerias electoral history for the enthronement of a democratic order is yet to be exhaustively explored. Nigerias democracy is the most populous democracy in africa with population of about 150 million. The nigerian national alliance nna was composed of the npc, akintolas westernbased nigerian national democratic party, and opposition parties representing ethnic minorities. Nigeria has a bicameral national assembly consisting of the senate with 109 seats and the house of representatives with 360 seats. The elections have dispelled quite a number of longheld myths about nigeria in terms of their outcome. Revisiting the nigerian 1959 federal election the guardian. The study is limited to participation in the 1999 and 2003 nigerian elections due to lack of time in gathering materials.
The federal parliamentary election campaign in december 1964the first since independencewas contested by two political alliances incorporating all the major parties. He ruled nigeria from january 1984 until august 1985, taking charge after a military coup in december 1983. Oct 14, 2019 the three colors of the flag red, green, and black and the black star in the middle are all symbolic of the panafricanist movement. The election was originally scheduled to be held on 2 april, but was later postponed to 4 april. General yakubu gowon, who is a former head of state of nigeria, and comprised twelve eminent persons. All major political crisis in nigeria till date causes. The observer group was supported by a sixperson staff team from the commonwealth secretariat. The three colors of the flag red, green, and black and the black star in the middle are all symbolic of the panafricanist movement.
Although the first postindependence parliamentary elections were held in december 1964, the nations leadership in the several decades following. The theoretical framework for the study is cultural relativism. Barback, director of the nigerian institute of social and economic research, who gave me every help and encouragement while i was at. Elections in nigeria are forms of choosing representatives to the nigerian federal government and the various states in the fourth republic nigeria. Political and nonpolitical participation m an is a social be ing, and as such he always participates in social life. Nigerias 2015 presidential election council on foreign. Nigeria was part of one or the other of these empires, and after the 1590s, borno dominated the region for 200 years. With the advent of independence, the government of abubakar tafawa balewa set up the federal electoral commission fec, which conducted the 1964 and.
The 1964 general elections from a multiparty structure which marked the 1959 preindependent elections, nigeria was to witness the emergence of a twoparty system in the 1964 general elections. The nigerian national alliance nna was composed of the npc, akintolas westernbased nigerian national democratic party, and opposition. Western nigeria election crisis, 1965 an election had been held into the western nigerian house of assembly in 1960, making another election due in 1965 according to the 1960 constitution. However, for elections to be termed democratic, it must be free and fair. This was a key theme in the early history of ghanas independence. The census crisis of 196263, the disputed federal election of 1964 and the rigged election in the western region in 1965, were the most. Reflecting on the nigerian media, elections, and the african. A look at kenyas elections history since independence in 1964.
Political violence 25 perceptions of impunity and police bias 26 viii. This study was made possible by acts of generosity from three sources. Afghanistan africa albania algeria angola antigua and barbuda argentina armenia aruba asia australia australianew zealand austria azerbaijan bahamas bahrain bangladesh barbados belarus belgium belize. Sep 11, 2017 the census crisis of 196263, the disputed federal election of 1964 and the rigged election in the western region in 1965, were the most outstanding conflicts that killed off nigerias first. Since gaining independence from britain in 1960, nigerias armed forces have run the. A presidential election was held in nigeria on 16 april 2011, postponed from 9 april 2011. Parliamentary elections were held in nigeria on 30 december 1964, although they were not held until 18 march 1965 in some constituencies in eastern region, lagos, and midwestern region due to a boycott in december. Pdf the electoral process and democratic consolidation in nigeria. 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. The action group virtually disappeared from the federal parliament as a result of the awolowo affair, thereby fundamentally altering political alignments at the national level.
The nigerian national alliance nna and the united progressive grand alliance upga. Nigerias unemployment numbers jumped by nearly 30 percent this year to 16 million, according to a november report by the national bureau of statistics. This made odinga the first prime minister since 1964, and uhuru his. Pdf assessment of the role of media in the 2015 nigerian. The house of representatives has 360 members which are elected for a fouryear term in singleseat constituencies and there are 109 members in the senate members elected as senate members. Population pyramids of the world from 1950 to 2100.
During the 1964 65 elections, politicians were involved in wide scale murder, kidnapping and arson. The area called midwestern state consisting of non. The author spent the year 196263 in nigeria and visited the. Elected officials, alongside the very government agencies charged with ensuring the credibility of polls, reduced the elections to a fraudriddled farce awopeju, 2011, pg 9. Election rigging and the problems of electoral act in nigeria. The nigerian national alliance nna and the united progressive grand. A new constitution established a federal system with an elected prime minister and a ceremonial head of state. This was especially important given the universally decried elections of 2007.
The 1964 65 elections the federal parliamentary election campaign in december 1964 the first since independencewas contested by two political alliances incorporating all the major parties. The role of the mass media in the nigerian electoral process. Nigeria tops regional coronavirus tallies, 5th in africa. 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. The electoral period 27 unscheduled public holidays 28 ix. 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. Twentiethcentury historian brun provides a pithy overview of the events that took place in nigeria. 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 2015 elections again may precipitate violence that could destabilize nigeria, and washington has even less leverage in abuja than it did in 2011.
This thesis is focused on participation in nigerian elections. Electoral violence reared its ugly head again during the highly. Characteristics of parliament the bicameral parliament of nigeria, the national assembly, consists of the senate and. Lg elections in nigeria between 1999 and 2008 in three states of nigeria. Nigeria is so giant that people say that as nigeria goes, so goes africa. Thus, electoral violence has proved to be nigerias harbinger of national instability as unabated festering irregularities that manifest at different stages of election subject almost all nigerias election below the minimum democracy standard. Nigeria presidential and national assembly elections. The federal electoral commission fec, established in 1960 conducted the immediate postindependence federal and regional elections of 1964 and 1965 respectively. Electoral commissions and the conduct of elections in nigeria.
If you have access to a journal via a society or association membership, please browse to your society journal, select an article to view, and follow the instructions in this box. Comparison is made between the 1999 elections, organized by the civilian government and the 2003 elections, done under the military government. The president is elected by qualified plurality vote to serve a 4year term. Despite bornos hegemony, the hausa states wrestled for ascendancy. The role of the mass media in the nigerian electoral process 160 in 1964, the government media again were used to announce that over fifty percent of the candidates of the ruling party were returned unopposed without voting in many places in the election into the federal house of representative that year. He argues that the process of modernization in nigeria, undoubtedly.
Assessment of the role of media in the 2015 nigerian general election. The federal electoral commission fedeco, established in 1960 conducted the immediate postindependence federal and regional elections of 1964 and 1965. The election follows controversy as to whether a muslim or christian should be allowed to become president given the tradition of rotating the top. The 1960 elections had been contested between the ag and the ncnc, with the former securing a majority and controlling government. It is the fourth time that gen buhari, 72, has sought the presidency. The wellmanaged 2011 elections nigerias 2011 general electionsin particular the presidential electionwere seen widely as being wellrun. Infrastructure and public services by nat adojutelegan llm, university of wolverhampton, 1997 pgdip, london guildhall university, uk, 1997 llb, university of wolverhampton, 1995 bs, university of benin, nigeria, 1987 dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy.
Election rigging and the problems of electoral act in nigeria ayo awopeju. Trends in electoral violence in nigeria, rasak bamidele2. Historic tensions between north and south and between the igbos and their ethnic rivals now reasserted themselves with a vengeance. If the general strike had deflected politics from the running ethnic and regional conflict to a fresh line of cleavage, this effect was shortlived. A purposive sample of 455 individuals was selected from three states, anambra, plateau and lagos, which were purposefully selected. The election resulted in the breakdown of alliance between. In december 1964, nigeria held its first election since it attained independence to elect representatives into the federal legislature. Parliamentary elections were held in nigeria on 30 december 1964, although they were not. The april 14 state elections 28 fraud, violence and other irregularities 29 declaration of results 31 election observers condemn conduct of polls 31.
It was beyond question, without a doubt, that in fact the last great act of the british raj in africas largest british territory, practically an empire of nations rather than a colony, was treason. These modifications addressed flaws in the framework that governed the 2007 polls and incorporated many recommendations proposed. Nigerians elects on the federal level a head of state the president of nigeria and a legislature the national assembly. However, the implication of nigeria s electoral history for the enthronement of a democratic order is yet to be exhaustively explored. Abuja has been the capital of nigeria since december 12, 1991. Access to society journal content varies across our titles.