Electoral Bodies in Nigeria – JSS3 Civic Education Lesson Note (Third Term)

Electoral bodies in Nigeria

Types of electoral bodies in Nigeria

There are two types of electoral bodies in Nigeria. They are

1. (INEC) Independent National Electoral Commission
2. State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC)

Composition and Roles of Electoral Bodies in Nigeria.

1. Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC): It is the main agent of democracy in Nigeria. INEC is a permanent body created by the constitution to organize federal and state elections in Nigeria. The overall head of INEC is called the chairman. Every state in Nigeria has a resident electoral commissioner who supervises the conduct of elections in the states.
2. State Independent Electoral Commission: The State Independent Electoral Commission has the power to:

• Organize undertake and supervise all elections to local government councils within a state.
• Advise INEC on the compilation of and the register of voters for local government elections. 

Functions of independent national electoral commission (INEC)

1. Registration of political parties.
2. Registration of voters and provision of voters’ cards.
3. Registration of candidates for elections.
4. Provision of electoral materials such as ballot papers and ballot boxes.
5. Counting of votes after elections.
6. Announcement and declaration of winners. 
7. To educate voters about democracy and the electoral process in Nigeria.
8. To divide the country into constituencies or electoral districts. 

EVALUATION

1. Mention the functions of INEC.
2. Mention the functions of SIEC. 

General evaluation

1. What were the features of Richards Constitution of 1946?
2. Mention four advantages of the Richard Constitution of 1946.
3. Mention four disadvantages of the Richards Constitution of 1946.
4. Which constitution divided Nigeria into three regions?
5. How many Nigerians were in the executive council of the 1946 Richards Constitution? 

Reading assignment

Fundamentals of Civic Education for JSS 3 by Sola Akinyemi pages 41 – 42.

 Weekend assignment

1. The overall head of INEC is called the A. Chairman B. President C. Governor D. Supervisor.
2. Electoral materials such as ballot boxes and ballot papers are provided by A. NAFDAC B. EFCC C. INEC D. NEMA.
3. The slogan of Ogun State is A. heartbeat B. sunshine state C. treasure base D. gateway state.
4. The slogan of the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria is A. centre of unity B. centre of Excellence C. fountain knowledge D. treasure base.
5. Elections in Nigeria take place every A. five years B. six years C. ten years D. four years. 

THEORY

1. Mention the types of electoral commissions in Nigeria.
2. Identify five functions of INEC.