Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term - Junior Secondary School 2

SUBJECT:  CIVIC EDUCATION      

CLASS:  JSS2

DATE:

TERM: 3RD TERM

WEEK FOUR

QUALIFICATION FOR REGISTRATION FOR ELECTION IN NIGERIA

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 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 18years. However, those seeking for elective posts like the President, House of Senate and State Governors must have attained the age of 35years but the House of Representatives must be at least 30years 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 the evidence oftax payment over a period of 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 operation.
4. Familiarize himself with candidates.
5. Participate in 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 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; have physical disability or inability to read English or any Nigerian languages.

PROCEDURE FOR VOTING

Each qualified voter is expected to have registered before the election day so as 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. Afterwards, he is given the ballot paper where all the political parties and their logos are written.

IMPORTANCE OF ELECTION

1. It provides 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 opportunity for political education.
6. It serves as basis for measuring popularity of government in power.

EVALUATION

State three voters’ right

GENERAL EVALUATION/ REVISION QUESTIONS

1. Mention four responsibilities of voters.
2. State three voters’ right.
3. State three benefits of the rule of law.
4. Mention four limitations of the rule of law.
5. Mention three factors that promote the value system.

READING ASSIGNMENT

Fundamentals of Civic Education for Basic 8 by Sola Akinyemi, pgs 126-130

WEEKEND ASSIGNMENT

1. The voting age in Nigeria is____ years. A. 15 B. 20 C. 18 D.25
2. All the following can contest for elections in Nigeria except____. A. an adult B. a sane person C. an ex-convict D. a teacher
3. All these are voters’ right except____. A. right to vote in privacy B. right to vote if registered C. right to ask questions on election process or procedure D. right to vote even if not registered
4. The most important requirement for any elective post in any country is_____. A. tax payment B. citizenship C. educational background D. tribe
5. Anybody contesting for the post of governor must have the age of____. A. 40 B. 35 C. 45 D. 37

THEORY

1. Mention three rights’ of voters.
2. State two importance of an election.