The house of representatives has 360 members, elected for a fouryear term in singleseat constituencies. The electoral process and democratic consolidation in nigeria. Nigeria has a rich history of political affairs that changed the direction of the country. 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. Comparative study of 2011 and 2015 presidential elections. A brief history of printing in nigeria nigerian voice. General studies directorate abubakar tafawa balewa university, bauchi, nigeria email. The first set of political parties to be formed in nigeria was formed. Governmental and political history of nigeria the first republic. 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. The 1999 elections, which brought a retired general, olusegun. Nigeria since independence have shown that the reins of government has always fallen into the hands of a political leadership class that showed more interest in private, group or ethnic gains than in the general wellbeing of the nigerian state. Profiting from the weaknesses and strengths of its predecessors, it treats not only nigerian politics, administration and economy but focuses also on culture and social history. The national democratic institute ndi is conducting an international observation mission to analyze the electoral process before, during and after the elections.
Abuja has networking technical questions and answers pdf been the capital of nigeria since december 12, 1991. Ndi fielded a preelection assessment team in nigeria from oct. In 1885, the berlin conference established british claim to a sphere of influence over the niger districts. Toyin falola, a leading historian intimately acquainted. Nigeria was scheduled for independence from britain in 1960, and three main political parties ran in the preparatory elections in 1959. Its aftermath still provides useful lessons, even for the distant future. List of books and articles about nigerian history online. Nigeria unveiled, which painted the picture of nigerias econo. Electoral politics in the fourth republic of nigerias democratic. Participation in nigerian elections is an interesting issue. Historical background of elections in nigeria election is the hallmark of modern representative government.
The elections have dispelled quite a number of longheld myths about nigeria in terms of their outcome. Journal of nigeria studies volume 1, number 1, fall 2010. In the first republic, the last governorgeneral of nigeria, dr. Aside discussing the political parties in nigeria, this write up will equally discuss about the political history of nigeria. Under the constitution, each of the three regions retained a substantial measure of selfgovernment. 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.
Nigerias electoral politics from independence has been tumultuous. Although the nigeria general election which was held in 2011 was relatively peaceful, however, it was also marked with some irregularities. Thus, electoral violence has proved to be nigerias harbinger of national instability as. Electoral reforms and democratic stability in nigeria.
Ahistoryofnigeria assets cambridge university press. Nigeria s election below the minimum democracy standard. How we measure reads a read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title. Abiola the supposed winner to emerge as a president by the. The elections will be conducted by nigerias election management body, the independent national electoral commission inec. Comparative study of 2011 and 2015 presidential elections 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 history of nigeria can be traced to prehistoric settlers nigerians living in the area as early as 1100 bc.
Several dominant themes in nigerian history are essential for understanding. The rise of the digital press in nigeria a digital press does not use plates or static image carriers, so each printed piece can be completely different from the last. A history of nigeria by toyin falola cambridge core. 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. Nigerias military ruled the country for nearly 30 of 40 yrs of independence. Geographical, historical and political profiles of nigeria.
Several dominant themes in nigerian history are essential for understanding contemporary nigerian politics and society. 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. Nigeria election watch national democratic institute. The royal niger company had been formed to administer the area but in 1890, the administration of the area was. Electoral violence was to rear its head again during nigeria. First, the spread of islam, predominantly in the north but later in southwestern nigeria as well, began a. Summary of observations and recommendations 3 recommendations 4 ii. Abstract this paper investigates comparative study of 2011 and 2015 presidential elections in nigeria with specific focus on the fourth republic, from the. If you dont see any interesting for you, use our search form on bottom v. 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. A purposive sample of 455 individuals was selected from three states, anambra, plateau.
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. Its seven most populous cities each house more than one million people, and about one out of two west africans is from nigeria. The theoretical framework for the study is cultural relativism. The elections were first scheduled to be held on 14 february 2015. This book by falola and heaton, two experienced and now famed collaborators, is a remarkable new addition to the growing library on a general history of nigeria. On this page you can read or download history of education in nigeria pdf in pdf format.
Out of these five elections, the first four elections were, expectedly, won by the peoples democratic party pdp, which, during this. Final ndi report on nigerias 2007 elections table of contents i. It formed a coalition with five other parties and two independents, holding a total of 148 seats. 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. There is more participation in elections, organized by the civilian government than that of the military government. Nnamdi azikiwe became the first president of independent nigeria, with sir. 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. The historical 1959 federal election took nigeria from colonial rule to independence in 1960. Elections in nigeria are forms of choosing representatives to the nigerian federal government and the various states in the fourth republic nigeria.
However, for elections to be termed democratic, it must be free and fair. Nigerias political culture such that virtually all elections held so far in the country are violentridden ojo, 2014. Nigerians elects on the federal level a head of state the president of nigeria and a legislature the national assembly. Voters elected the president and members to the house of representatives and the senate. The high level of success of nigerias 2015 general elections was unexpected, considering the difficult political and security environment in which the elections were conducted. The incumbent president, goodluck jonathan sought his second and final term. History of general elections in nigeria from 1999 till. Nigerias flag consists of three equal vertical bands of green, white, and green. In all, political power has alternated between the civilian and the.
Islam reached nigeria through the borno empire between 1068 ad and hausa states around 85 ad during the 11th century, while. The consequences of these crises largely contributed to the rude termination of nigeria. Introduction nigeria and nigerians have been caught in the frenzy of centenary celebration. Not many people know about the first general election in nigeria that happened 96 years ago. Political leadership and corruption in nigeria since 1960. Nigeria history, west african history, books barnes.
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 political tensions, overlaid atop simmering communal and ethnoreligious violence in parts of nigeria, and alongside boko haram efforts to foment further instability, have raised concerns about the countrys trajectory in the coming months. Lg elections in nigeria between 1999 and 2008 in three states of nigeria. Parliamentary elections were held in nigeria on 12 december 1959. Elections in nigeria continue to elicit more than casual interest by nigerian scholars due to the fact that despite. 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. However, in 1999, nigeria made a transition to civilian rule. Violence has continued to mar the conduct of almost all general elections, making free and fair elections a desideratum. Table 4 response number of respondent % agree 4 7% disagree 33 39% strongly agree 3 6% strongly disagree 1 48% no ideas 41 3% total 82 100% the analysis of the figures in the above table has shown a low rate of positive foundation for the. This study is aimed at comparing the 1999 elections with 2003 elections. Electoral administration and the consolidation of democracy. The 2015 presidential elections in nigeria pdf the 2015 presidential elections in nigeria. Elections in nigeria can be traced to as far back as the year 1923 when the country faced first general elections ever. Electoral violence and the survival of democracy in.
Since 1999, nigeria has organized general elections in 2003, 2007 and 2011 respectively. Nigeria gained full independence in october 1960, as a federation of three regions northern, western, and eastern under a constitution that provided for a parliamentary form of government. There was a sigh of relief that nigeria will evolve into a free society after the military exited the political scene for the establishment of democratic rule on may 29, 1999. Nigeria is a famous country with more than one hundred and forty million population. This situation report follows a threeweek visit by the author to nigeria principally abuja the federal capital and lagos the commercial capital in march 2011. It borders on the gulf of guinea an arm of the atlantic ocean in the south, on benin in the west, on niger in the northwest and north, on. History of nigeria election information in nigeria. Geographical, historical and political profiles of nigeria 1. History of political parties in nigeria nigerian finder. 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. Lukman that nigeria badly needed a leadership that can rescue the country from the depth of chronic indiscipline, disorder.
Pdf the electoral process and democratic consolidation. Electoral politics in the fourth republic of nigerias. The data for this paper were generated from a crosssectional survey conducted from june to july, 2009. The senate has 109 members, elected for a fouryear term. The 2011 presidential, national assembly, gubernatorial, and state assembly elections provide an historic opportunity for nigeria. 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. However, the implication of nigerias electoral history for the enthronement of a democratic order is yet to be exhaustively explored. Thus over the years, electoral processes in the history of nigerias democratic governance have continued to be.
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