ELECTION PETITIONS IN NIGERIA: BUHARI v. OBASANJO IN PERSPECTIVE

At independence in 1960, Nigeria was set on the path of democracy and the rule of law, an important aspect of which is a periodic election. Elections are the only means by which a legitimate government can be formed in any democratic country, the world over, Nigeria inclusive. A prominent feature of Nigeria’s democratic bottleneck seems to be the outcome of every elections, since 1966. Such outcome has been the popular dissatisfaction with the way and manner elections were conducted in the country. Such dissatisfaction has given birth to numerous election petitions and at times violence in large scale.