Research Paper Number

26/2013

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2013

Keywords

Comparative Politics; elections; Nigeria; Political rights; Right to vote

Abstract

This article analyses the right to vote and what it means to the average Nigerian voter. Its starting position is that the right to vote is nowhere explicitly enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution or its electoral laws. Where, universally speaking, to vote is either a legal or constitutional right, the article argues that in none of those conceptions does such a right exist in Nigeria. Further, it shows how the Nigerian legal and electoral systems inordinately prioritize the rights of political parties and their candidates in elections over and above those of the ordinary voter. It concludes that this issue has to be satisfactorily addressed to meaningfully build upon the gains of the 2011 elections.

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