In this post, Ozioma Nwadike Esq. reflects on the state of the Nigerian electoral system in light of the anti-reform judicial stance exhibited by the Supreme Court. With reference to some of the Court's recent judgments, Nwadike argues that the progressive steps taken by the legislature to reform the system have been undermined by the Court through its reliance on arcane legal formalism. The implication is that little progress has been made in electoral system reforms since 2007.

Ozioma V. Nwadike discusses the dilemma of parallel party primaries in Nigeria and argues that conflicting winners undermine the electoral process’ legitimacy, leading to a lack of trust in the system and elected representatives.

This blog post sheds light on President Sall's controversial decision to indefinitely postpone Senegal's presidential elections. Initially slated for February 25, 2024, the elections have been enveloped in uncertainty and concern following this unexpected move.

Earlier this year, Ghana's Supreme Court declared the Imposition of Restrictions Act (IRA) 2020 unconstitutional, merely three years after its enactment. This post takes a closer look at the IRA's prior controversies and highlights the key aspects of the Court's decision that substantiated earlier concerns, ultimately leading to the Act’s repeal.

In the the first of a two-part series, Ugochukwu Ezeh discusses judicial transparency, corruption and the integrity of democratic institutions against the backdrop of the contested presidential election in Nigeria.

In the wake of a recent military coup in Niger, both the AU and ECOWAS have strongly denounced this unconstitutional power shift. ECOWAS, taking a firmer stance, has also enforced sanctions on Niger. In this blog post, Linda Mushoriwa discusses the effectiveness of measures such as sanctions and military action in response to unconstitutional changes of governments (UCG).

Same-sex unions are currently not performed in Namibia. However, last month, the Namibian Supreme Court held that the Namibian government should recognize same-sex marriages conducted outside Namibian jurisdiction. In this article, Mahima critically analyzes the judgment of the court in Digashu and Others v GRN and Others; Seiler-Lilles v GRN and Others, bringing to the fore human rights issues, and comparativism in judicial reasoning.

In the second of a two-part series focused on the contested presidential election in Nigeria, Ugochukwu Ezeh argues that the timeous judicial determination of electoral disputes is crucial to ensuring that leaders possess credible and legitimate democratic mandates.

In the first of a two-part series of blog posts focused on the contested presidential election in Nigeria, Ugochukwu Ezeh considers the existing electoral dispute resolution system and argues that it leaves much to be desired.

Survenant par la force des armes ou à travers une subtile modification de la constitution, ne conservant qu’une apparence de légalité, ce phénomène est récurrent sur le continent noir et génère de lourdes menaces pour la démocratie et l'état de droit. La fréquence des changements inconstitutionnels ces dernières années nous amène à nous demander s’ils ne se sont pas érigés en une nouvelle mode d’ascension au pouvoir.

Amidst heated debates over the criminalisation of homosexual relationships, Ghana’s parliament is considering passing a Bill entitled the Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values of 2021 (“Anti-LGBTQ+ Bill”). The Bill, if passed into law, will usher Ghana into another wave of criminalising homosexual conduct.

A snapshot of women’s political participation in The Gambia shows that there is an urgent need to adopt special measures to increase women’s access to political participation.

Ghana teaches us important lessons about the special role of African Supreme Courts for the survival of democracies on the continent.

Leaving too much room for human intervention increases the possibility of manipulation in any sphere. This is no less true with regard to the electoral process. We need ICT solutions that foster credibility and transparency in electoral processes and outcomes.