A) National Electoral Commission. Habu Mohammed. The role of electoral bodies. BabatundeBabawale (2007), “Nigeria in the Crises of Governance and Development”, Concept Publication, limited, Ikeja Lagos, p:54 electoral malpractices through buying of votes, rigging of elections, violence, corruption, intimidation and harassment of voters before and during Election Day. READ PAPER. Elections in Nigeria. All local elections are surrounded by rumors about unfairness and malpractices. The most commonly used examples of ‘bad’ activities that take place before, during, and right after elections include the following: Illegal usage of ballot boxes. Illegal printing of voter’s cards. Options. The Chairman of the first Nigerian Federal Electoral Commission was Chief Eyo Esua (1964–1966) in the First Republic. When General Olusegun Obasanjo prepared for a return to civilian power in the Second Republic, he established a new Federal Electoral Commission headed by Chief Michael Ani to supervise the 1979 elections. An electoral management body (EMB) is an organization that is legally responsible for managing one or more of the elements that are essential for the conduct of elections.5 EMBs go by different names --Election Commission, Department of Elections, Electoral Council-- and they can be established and regulated by a variety of legal frameworks. Indeed, it is a necessary condition for democracy because it provides the medium for the expression of the The electoral process in Nigeria is now more dynamic than in earlier years because of the nature of competitions among politicians. Project Democracy And Electoral Fraud In Nigeria – An important element of modern representative government is the process of election. The 2007 elections, considered by most observers and analysts as the worst elections in Nigeria’s history, provided even more graphic and obnoxious illustrations of these challenges, which have bedeviled the Nigerian electoral process (See, for example, Kurfi 1983 and 2013). 3559 Words15 Pages. The Electoral Process in Nigeria . This should be made to work so as to guard against unholy situations where Executive heads starve the commission of funds in order to whip the management into conformity. 45 The 2001 Electoral Act envisaged the establishment of a permanent national voter register through an electronic database, which the INEC was to compile and regularly update. Electrical malpractices are usually committed by the politicians with the connivance of political parties, national electoral body, security agencies etc. Kenya provides one of many examples of countries throughout the world, in which the unsatisfactory performance of the electoral management body undermined the popular legitimacy in elections. Campaigns ought to address issues of public importance, but in some instances the comments are mere expressions of personal sentiments. As Nigeria celebrates its fiftieth anniversary, it is an apt time to consider its democratic development. Discussed are political crises/issues in Nigeria, causes and the possible solutions. What are electoral malpractices in Nigeria? In this regard, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Electoral Malpractices in Nigeria Electoral malpractices is the failing of all electoral institutions or bodies to carry out election in the proper or professional way it is supposed to be done. Abstract. Examples include the introduction of an independent Electoral Management Body with electoral functions, and a radically different electoral system. The president (head of state) is elected by the people. Download Full PDF Package. What this means is that the way she conducts her elections serves as an example to other African democracies. The internationalization of electoral frameworks and administration continues to place countries under pressure to introduce electoral … See also electoral dispute resolution body (EDRB). Of these, I would like to highlight a few: (1) Nigeria (March 2015) On the 28th of March 2015, Nigerians went to the polls to elect a president. IFES in Nigeria. The country’s struggles for sustainable democracy, good governance, and development have been so daunting that all previous attempts at democratic transition have been futile. “For example, the electronic transmission of the declared results directly from the polling stations will help prevent abuses related to matching and changing the results,” he noted. Therefore, much is expected from Nigeria. Electoral Commission charged with conducting federal and state elections. Nigeria has for long been in constant search for effective electoral processes, as an integral part of its transition to democracy. WikiMatrix WikiMatrix. Before convening the electoral body, the Chairman of the Riigikogu shall consider the opinion of the election committee. This collection features research reports and other publications on a wide range of legal topics prepared by the Law Library of Congress in response to requests or recurring interest from Congress and other federal government entities on issues concerning foreign, comparative, and international law (FCIL). The electoral process in many of Africa’s ‘new’ democracies has been characterised by violence. 37 Full PDFs related to this paper. CHAPTER ONE. IV. This paper. For example in Zambia, the Zambian Electoral … Nigeria gained independence from the British imperialist in 1960; was born into democracy at independence. Real power should lie in the electoral bodies with the courts and observers It is any act that hinders free and fair election. Like most human endeavors, the framers of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999(as amended) and the Electoral Act, 2010(as ... country and the independence of adjudicating bodies of elections. The APC – then in the opposition – campaigned on an issue-based platform centered on corruption, shifting the focus of the election to the concerns of the Nigerian people. A Nigerian policeman stands guard as APC supporters march towards the Independent National Electoral Commission Office in Port Harcourt during a demonstration calling for the cancellation of the presidential election in the Rivers State, on 29 March 2015. https://www.mondaq.com/nigeria/constitutional-administrative-law/987696 in June 12, 1993 presidential election in Nigeria. Since 1998, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) has worked to strengthen the capacity of Nigerian election management bodies (EMBs) to promote credible, inclusive and transparent elections at the national and local levels. Nigeria had various unique and different ways of appointing their leaders. Habu Mohammed. Examples of West African countries that have recently held peaceful elections. emmanuel asante kissi . B) Independent Electoral Commission. One major obstacle to electoral success in Nigeria is the inability of successive electoral bodies to conduct a fair and credible election (Okhaide 2012). Let us talk about the causes and effects of this popular phenomenon popularly called ‘rigging.’ Fair elections have become like fairy tales in Nigeria. Recall that an electoral commission can be described as a body constituted under the constitution of a country with the aim of, among other things, organizing elections to elect qualified candidates into government. Some of them also have valuable experience in electoral governance, having occupied strategic positions and played prominent roles during Attahiru Jega’s successful tenure as INEC chairman. For example, the chairman of INEC in Nigeria is a professor Mahmoud Yakubu. The Chairman of the first Nigerian Federal Electoral Commission was Chief Eyo Esua (1964–1966) in the First Republic. Meaning: An electoral body is an agency charged with the responsibilities of organizing and conducting free and fair elections in a country. Most notable examples are the 2007 post electoral violence in Kenya and the 2011 post electoral violence in … For example, only recently, the Centre for Liberties (CFL) announced the commencement of a people-driven electoral reform advocacy (ERA) sponsored by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) to ensure the immediate passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2018 by the Ninth National Assembly. DEMOCRACY AND ELECTORAL PROCESS IN NIGERIA. In some elections, there is one person elected per district. ABSTRACT. In Nigeria, however, elections have been one of the main problems of the democratization process. D) National Electoral Commission of Nigeria. ii. 1.0 INTRODUCTION. References. Uruguay and Costa Rica are among the earliest countries to adopt independent elections bodies. For example, in Nigeria, widespread electoral malpractices perpetuated by the Independent National Electoral Commission in 2007 provoked post-election violence which compelled President Yar‟Adua (late) to promise in his inaugural speech to create an Electoral Reform Committee to review and overhaul the electoral process to save the system from decay (Onwudiwe and Berwind-Dart, 2010). Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) | (1998 till date) | Ephraim Akpata (1998- Jan. 2000), Abel Guobadia (2000-2005), Maurice Iwu (2005- April 28 2010), Attahiru Jega (June 2010- October 2015), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu (Oct. 29 2015 till date) , 1999 Presidential election, 2003 Presidential election, 2007 Presidential election, 2011 Presidential election, 2015 Presidential election although tracey's expertise is investment planning, he is anxious to expand his client base and is willing to assist clients with any area of financial planning. An electoral body should be neutral, impartial and transparent umpire in elections. 4 Uganda also utilised the WSR. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), set up in 1998, is the electoral body which was set up to oversee elections in Nigeria. To examine the unique roles of social media in enhancing electoral education in Nigeria. Electoral experts define disproportional as the difference between the votes share of a party and its seat share. The President is elected by the Riigikogu or a special electoral body for a five-year term. Nigeria’s 2019 Elections: Six States to Watch | Crisis Group. Surprise postponement in Nigeria. Elumelu also tasked the country’s electoral body to take urgent steps to accelerate the use of technology to add credibility to the voting process. Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE). Total number of seats the number of representatives elected to the body in total. ... formation of professional and impartial electoral bodies. The system of recruiting political leaders through elections was alien to the various kingdoms and societies in Nigeria. single electoral body also supports the realisation of a union state. Independent electoral body that should be free from the maneuvering and influence of . The legal framework within an electoral justice system that specifies the mechanisms established for resolving electoral disputes and protecting electoral rights. The Nigerian electoral system determines how much support from the citizens of the nation a certain candidate/nominee or a political party receives. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), its credibility bolstered under the leadership of Prof. Attahiru Jega, played a crucial role in ensuring that the elections offered the possibility of change, rather than merely validating the status quo. By. It is usually headed by a chairman. hundreds of thousands displaced.3 Electoral violence can erode a people’s faith in democratic processes. 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