Electorial Practices before 1998/99 in Nigeria

The 1959 election preceded the grant of Political Independence to Nigeria in 1960. The electoral laws under which elections were conducted throughout the period of the 1950s and 1960s were derived from the provision of the British Representation of the Peoples Act of 1948/9 and regulations made in it. The 1959 elections were conducted under the provision of the Nigeria (Electoral Provisions) Order-in-Council, LN 117 of 1958 enacted by the British Parliament.  During this period there was no clearly defined regulatory framework on party finance and the funding of political parties was pre dominantly through private funding as parties and candidates were responsible for election expenses. The absence of strict legislation to regulate party finance made it possible for politicians and political parties to engage in illegal party financing and corruption in the First Republic. At least two dramatic cases of corruption involving political parties were judicially investigated. In 1956, the Foster Sutton Tribunal of Enquiry investigated allegation of impropriety in the conduct of some politicians from the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC) with business interests in the African Continental Bank (ACB). Similarly in 1962 the Coker Commission of Inquiry was set up to look into the affairs of six Western Nigeria public corporations that were allegedly involved in corruption with the leadership of the Action Group. During the Nigeria’s Second Republic (1979 -1983) a combination of private and public funding was used for the first time. The political parties occupied the central position in the politics of the Second Republic. The1979 Constitution clearly states that “No association other than a Political Party [was allowed to] canvas for votes for any candidate at any election or contribute to the funds of any political party or to the election expenses of any candidate at an election”. The 1979 Constitution in Section 205 empowers the National Assembly to make laws “for an annual grant to the Federal Electoral Commission for disbursement to Political Parties on a fair and equitable basis to assist them in the discharge of their function”. Government accordingly rendered financial assistance to the parties by way of subventions. In addition, private funding, except from outside Nigeria, was allowed, according to Section 205 of the 1979 Constitution. There was no limit on how much corporate body and individuals could contribute to political parties. Apart from the ban on political parties from receiving external funds as in Section 205 of the 1979 Constitution and the prohibition of associations other than Political Parties from making contribution to the funds of Political Parties or the election of any candidate at any election, as in Section 201 of the 1979 Constitution, there were no stricter Constitutional or Statutory regulation on the use of party financing such as those of disclosure of donations to Political Parties.  The result was illegal use of money to influence decision making in Political Parties and the political process in general. Although the 1979 Constitution provided however for some form of check especially with respect to external control of political parties. Even that was not achieved in the 1979-1983 elections. The loopholes were exploited by the financially and politically ambitious few that eventually were able to use their wealth to hijack Political Parties of their choice. With unbridled use of money little or no attention was paid to political mobilization by those seeking elective positions. Politicians attached much importance to money which they used to buy the votes of the electorates. The experiences of the 1979 and 1983 elections were such that political parties and politicians had unrestricted freedom to use money from both legal and illegal sources to finance their campaigns and other activities associated with their election expenses. During the Second Republic the role and activities of ‘contractors’ in government and political parties, and other cases of political ‘patronage’ became very rampant. The reports of the various special tribunals that tried politicians and office holders revealed gross abuse of public office and impropriety in dealing with political parties. 


Source: INEC