Elections in Nigeria involve choosing representatives for the federal government of Nigeria as well as the various states in the Fourth Nigerian Republic.[1] Elections in Nigeria began in 1959 with several political parties.[2] [3] [4] [5] It's a method of choosing leaders for which the citizens have the right to vote and to be voted for.[6] In 2023, Nigerians were getting ready for presidential elections with about 93.4 million eligible voters across the federation.[7] [8]
Nigerians elect a President of Nigeria to act as head of state. The winner must have the highest number of votes and at least 25% in each of two thirds of the states and the capital territory. If no one meets both criteria, there would be a second round between the top two vote-getters.[9] [10]
At the same time voters elect the Nigerian National Assembly which acts as the legislature. The National Assembly has two chambers: the House of Representatives, with 360 members, each elected for a four-year term in single-seat constituencies, and the Senate, with 109 members, elected for a four-year term. The thirty-six states are divided into three senatorial districts, each of which is represented by one senator, and the Federal Capital Territory which is also represented by one senator.[11] [12]
Nigeria has a multi-party system, with two or three strong parties and a third party that is electorally successful. However, members of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) have controlled the presidency since elections resumed in 1999 until 2015 when Muhammadu Buhari won the presidential election.[13]
See main article: 1999 Nigerian presidential election. Presidential elections were held on 27 February, 1999. These were the first elections since the 1993 military coup, and the first elections of the Fourth Nigerian Republic.
See main article: 2003 Nigerian presidential election. Presidential elections were held on 19 April, 2003.
See main article: 2007 Nigerian general election. The 2007 general was held on 14 April where governorship and state assembly representatives were elected. A week later, on 21 April, the presidential and national assembly elections took place. The late Umaru Yar'Adua won the highly controversial election for the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and was sworn in on 29 May.
The ruling PDP won 26 of the 32 states, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), including Kaduna State and Katsina State, where the results were contested by the local population.[14]
Following the presidential election, groups monitoring the election gave it a dismal assessment. Chief European Union observer, Max van den Berg, reported that the handling of the polls had "fallen far short" of basic international standards, and that "the process cannot be considered to be credible".[15] A spokesman for the United States Department of State said it was "deeply troubled" by election polls, calling them "flawed", and said they hoped the political parties would resolve any differences over the election through peaceful, constitutional means.[16]
See main article: 2011 Nigerian presidential election and Nigerian parliamentary election, 2011.
A parliamentary election was held on 9 April, 2011. The election was originally scheduled to be held on 2 April,[17] [18] but was later postponed to 4 April.[19]
A presidential election was held in Nigeria on 16 April 2011, postponed from 9 April 2011.[20] [21] [22] The election followed controversy as to whether a Muslim or Christian should be allowed to become president given the tradition of rotating the top office between the religions and following the death of Umaru Yar'Adua, who was a Muslim, and Goodluck Jonathan, a Christian, assuming the interim presidency.[23]
Following the election, widespread violence took place in the northern parts of the country.[24] Goodluck Jonathan was declared the winner on 19 April.[25] The elections were reported in the international media as having run smoothly with relatively little violence or voter fraud in contrast to previous elections, in particular the widely disputed 2007 election.[26] The United States State Department said the election was "successful" and a "substantial improvement" over 2007, although it added that vote rigging and fraud also took place.[27]
See main article: 2015 Nigerian general election. The 2015 general elections were originally scheduled to be held on 14 February but was later postponed to 28 March (presidential, senatorial, and House of Representatives) and 11 April 2015 (governorship and state house of assembly).[28] General Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress emerged as the winner of the presidential elections and was sworn in on 29 May 2015. The 2015 election was a success because there were tensions everywhere concerning the difficult political and security environment of the country at that time. However, It was the first time in the history of Nigeria that an incumbent president lost an election. Goodluck Ebele Johnathan of the People's Democratic Party lost his seat to Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress.[29] [30]
See main article: 2019 Nigerian general election. Presidential and National Assembly elections were scheduled for 16 February 2019, while state and local government elections were scheduled for 2 March 2019. Elections were postponed by one week after INEC cited logistic challenges.[31] The rescheduled dates were 23 February and 9 March 2019.
President Muhammadu Buhari was re-elected for another four-year term. The primary contender was former vice-president Atiku Abubakar of the People's Democratic Party (PDP).[32] Kingsley Moghalu of the Young Progressives Party (YPP), Yele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC), and Fela Durotoye of the Alliance for a New Nigeria (ANN) were other popular candidates who were all relatively young. Late in 2018, these three parties alongside some others attempted to form a coalition.[33] However, the candidates pulled out of the coalition and decided to continue running on their respective platforms. There are 73 candidates contesting in the presidential election.[34]
The 2019 governorship and state house of assembly election was originally scheduled for 2 March 2019 and rescheduled for Saturday, 9 March 2019.[35] The two major political parties, the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the People's Democratic Party, fielding candidates in the elections across various states except Rivers where a court order prohibits The All Progressives Congress from fielding candidates as a result of an internal crisis with the state chapter of the party.
The 2019 Nigerian general election suffered from unique issues and challenges and also enjoyed successes that had not been witnessed in the previous five elections in Nigeria's Fourth Republic.[36]
See main article: 2023 Nigerian general election. General elections were held in Nigeria on 25 February 2023 to elect the president and vice president and members of the Senate and House of Representatives.