NIGERIA

The election conducted in Nigeria from 1959 till date has be undergoing series of changes and reforms. By the introduction of the Electoral Act which was empowered by the 1999 constitution of Nigeria. Unlike the previous times which election was conducted by decrees and systems. After the transition from military regime to civilian government, the Electoral Act was introduced to govern the electoral system. This Electoral Act over time have served the will of the political class and the party in government. The people were thus far excluded from freely participating in the electioneering process to determine who governs them. This was made possible by the weakness of the Electoral Act that gave room for electoral manipulation and voters intimidation and violence. With the introduction of the Electoral Act 2022, the Act repealed the previous Act and introduced new clauses into the electoral system. The research focus on the dynamics of the Electoral Act, if it reflects the will of the people. This work also reviewed the provisions of the repealed Act and evaluate it with the new Electoral Act 2022 to extract how it promote citizen participation, through laying foundation for free and fair election. Conclusively after critically analysing, the dynamics of the Electoral Act 2022 this work was able to x-ray the positive position of the Act and also some provision which excluded citizens from total participation and in same vain some ambiguity in the Act which may deny the citizens from reaping the benefit. The research
finds that not minding the positive output of the new Electoral Act there that there are weaknesses. Recommendations were made which will straighten the Act so as to deepen democratic participation and improve the people’s confidence on the process

he phase independence of the judiciary is not a strange concept to any student or concerned citizen of any country including Nigeria. The concept of independence of the judiciary has long been introduced as an important ingredient to uphold the rule of law in any country. The independence of the judiciary in Nigeria is enshrined in Section 17 of Chapter 2 of The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 which states that “the independence, impartiality and integrity of courts of law and easy accessibility thereto shall be secured and maintained”. Unfortunately, this chapter of the constitution is not justiciable, meaning that none of the objectives and principles set out in the chapter can be enforced. Thus, the instrument creating the Nigerian judiciary does not clearly provide for the enforcement of its independence. This is one of the reasons many often wonder if the judiciary is and can be independent. This paper seeks to answer the question, is the Nigerian judiciary independent? How free is the Nigerian judiciary from interference? In answering these questions, it is important to first understand the meaning of the words independence and judiciary, what constitutes an independent judiciary? This will include an illumination into the development and structure of the Nigerian Judiciary, the development of independence in the Nigerian judiciary since independence under the different constitutions and the military dispensation. The challenges to an independent judiciary in Nigeria will be discussed along with a brief comparison with other nations, in particular the United Kingdom from which most of our laws emanate.