How did the general elections of 1964 affect political developments in Nigeria?
Explanation
9Ways by which the General Elections of 1964 affected Political Developments in Nigeria include:
(i) Period of stalemate: The general elections which started on December 30, 1964 was seen as very crucial by the participants, but for a period of three days, no government was formed. There was a stalemate.
(ii) Formation of alliances: The election saw the formation of alliances by both minor and major parties. At the end, two major parties emerged the Nigerian National Alliance (NNA) and the United Progressive Grand Alliance (UPGA).
(iii) Effect on Western Nigeria elections of 1965: These general elections also affected the Western Nigeria elections, which were characterised by violence, arson, political thuggery etc.
(iv) Military in the political system: The failure of these general elections to be free and fair was one of the reasons attributed to the military coming into the political system.
(v) Victimization: The campaign for elections was characterised by victimisation. Failure of candidates to legitimize the necessary papers with electoral officials affected the basis of political development in Nigeria.
(vi) Electoral fraud: This allegation accompanied the 1964 elections and subsequently poisoned the minds of Nigerians. They did not see anything good again in a government that might likely evolve from elections marred with injustices, rigging, intimidation etc.