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Independent National Electoral Commission And Democratic Consolidation In Nigeria
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The
process of election administration in many new democracies continues to
generate a lot of controversy; particularly with regards to the level
of independence of election management bodies, their professionalism and
the acceptability of the elections they conduct. In Nigeria, Africa’s
largest democracy project, the election administration process since the
country gained political independence from the British has always
resulted in controversy and crisis; arising mostly in part from the
perceived collaboration of election management bodies with the
successive military and civilian regimes of the country‘s
post-independence era. The implication is that the history of election
administration in Nigeria has been a history of controversy engendered
by electoral malpractices.
A total of six different
election management bodies were established at various times to conduct
the successive elections that have taken place in Nigeria‘s
post-independence history. Indeed, as Agbaje and Adejumobi (2006) notes,
over the years, the autonomy and capacity of election management bodies
in Nigeria has been suspect as reflected in its endless renaming and
restructuring by successive governments‖. In 1959 the Electoral
Commission of Nigeria (ECN) conducted the first nationwide elections
which ushered in Nigeria‘s first republic. The ECN which was composed of
largely expatriate British administrators was replaced in 1964 with the
Federal Electoral Commission (FEC).
Following a highly contested
general election conducted by the FEC in 1964/65, and other existing
political problems, the first republic was toppled in a military coup in
1966 and the FEC was dissolved. By 1978 another Federal Electoral
Commission (FEDECO) was established by the outgoing military regime of
General Olusegun Obasanjo. FEDECO conducted the 1979 elections that
ushered in Nigeria‘s second republic. However, FEDECO was also dissolved
in 1983 by the military administration of General Muhammadu Buhari
following a highly controversial election conducted in 1983. By 1987,
the Babangida administration also dissolved FEDECO and established the
NEC.
In what was described as a transition without end NEC conducted
the 1992/93 elections but was also dissolved in 1993 following the
annulment of the 1993 Presidential election results and the exit of the
Babangida administration. In 1994 the Abacha administration established
the National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON). NECON conducted
elections from the local governments up to the national assembly level;
but was also abolished following the death of General Abacha and the
emergence of the General Abubakar administration in 1998. The General
Abubakar Abdulsalami regime established the current Independent National
Electoral Commission (INEC) which has conducted an unprecedented number
of five quadrennial general elections in Nigeria from 1999 to 2015.
While INEC is the longest serving EMB in Nigeria’s political history,
the elections it has conducted has generated varying degrees of
controversy and violent conflicts; particularly at the Presidential
level.
The 2015 Presidential election conducted by INEC was historic
for two major reasons. First, the introduction of an electronic
accreditation process in spite of challenges encountered, seemed to have
remarkably increased the credibility of the country‘s election
administration process. Secondly, it was the first time in the history
of the country that an incumbent President will lose elections and
conceded defeat to the opposition. Yet, the 2015 general election
administration process as in the previous 4 general elections held from
1999 to 2011 was not without controversy.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This study investigated the impact of the INEC as an electoral management body on democratic consolidation in Nigeria. This was premised on the observation Nigeria continues to witness with growing disappointments and apprehension as to its inability to conduct peaceful, free, fair and open elections in which results are widely accepted and respected across the country. The objectives of this study were among others, to examine the impact of the introduction of electronic accreditation process o ... Continue reading---
