QUALIFICATION FOR REGISTRATION FOR ELECTION IN NIGERIA I

CONTENT

• Qualification for Elections.

•   Responsibilities of Voters.

•    Voters’ Rights.

 QUALIFICATION FOR ELECTIONS

Under the Electoral Act of 2002, to qualify for registration voter in Nigeria, a person must have the following qualifications:

1.  He must be a citizen of Nigeria: Someone seeking an elective post must be a citizen of the country.

2.  Age: To be eligible to vote in an election, a person must attain the age of 18 years. However, those seeking elective posts like the President, House of Senate, and State Governors must have attained the age of 35 years but the House of Representatives must be at least 30 years old.

3.          He must belong to a political party: To be voted for, a person must be a member of one of the registered political parties in the country. Independent candidature is not recognized in Nigeria.

4.  Educational Qualification: The minimum qualification needed to be voted into the parliament in Nigeria is the West African School Certificate(WASC).

5. Crime-free: To contest for any elective post in Nigeria, the candidate must not have any criminal record. This means that he must not be an ex-convict for any crime committed.

6. Sanity: Anybody contesting for any elective position must not be insane. Hence, he must be of sound mind.

7.  Tax payment: The candidate must provide evidence of tax payment over some time.

EVALUATION

State three qualifications for elections

RESPONSIBILITIES OF VOTERS

1.   He must respect the privacy of other voters.

2.  Treat electoral officers.

3.  Know the location of his polling place and its hours of operation.

4.  Familiarize himself with candidates.

5.  Participate in the election by coming out to vote.

6.  Follow instructions concerning voting procedures.

7 .Follow all federal and state voting laws.

8.   Bring proper identification to the polling station.

EVALUATION

Mention four responsibilities of voters.

VOTERS’ RIGHTS

1.   Right to vote if they registered.

2.   Right to ask questions on the election process or procedure.

3.   Right to preview a sample ballot before voting.

4.  Right to vote in privacy and freedom from coercion or intimidation.

5.  Right to receive assistance if the voter is blind; or has a physical disability or inability to read English or any Nigerian language.

PROCEDURE FOR VOTING

Each qualified voter is expected to have registered before the election day to avoid unnecessary rush and waste the time of others. At the registration center, he will be given a voter’s card which qualifies him for voting on the election day. On election day, the electorate goes to the centre where he will accredited for voting having presented his voter’s card. Afterward, he is given the ballot paper where all the political parties and their logos are written.

 IMPORTANCE OF ELECTION

1.   It provides an opportunity for choosing leaders.

2.  It checks the excesses of leaders.

3.  It makes the change of government easy and peaceful.

4.  It promotes democracy.

5.  It provides an opportunity for political education.

6.  It serves as the basis for measuring the popularity of the government in power.

EVALUATION

State three voters’ right