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 Nigeriaportal |
General elections were held in Nigeria on 21 October 1938. The Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM) won three of the four elected seats in the Legislative Council, defeating the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP), which had won every election since 1923.
The 1922 Nigeria (Legislative Council) Order in Council provided for a 46-member Legislative Council, of which 23 were ex-officio officials, four were nominated officials, up to 15 were appointed unofficial members and four were elected (three in Lagos and one in Calabar). [1] [2] The 23 ex officio officials included the Governor, the Chief Secretary and their deputy, the Lieutenant Governors and secretaries of the Northern and Southern Provinces, the Attorney General, the Commandant of the Nigerian Regiment, the Director of Medical Services, the Treasurer, the Director of Marine, the Comptroller of Customs, the Secretary of Native Affairs, together with ten senior residents. [3]
The franchise was restricted to men aged 21 or over who were British subjects or a native of Nigeria who had lived in their municipal area for the 12 months prior to the election, and who earned at least £100 in the previous calendar year. The right to vote was withheld from those who had been convicted of a crime and sentenced to death, hard labour or prison for more than a year, or were of "unsound mind". [4] Only 908 people registered to vote in Lagos out of a population of over 126,000, whilst just 107 registered in Calabar (the population of the town was 16,653 according to the 1931 census). [5]
All eligible voters could also run as candidates unless they had an undischarged bankruptcy, had received charitable relief in the previous five years or were a public servant. [6] Candidates were required to obtain the nomination of at least three registered voters and pay a £10 deposit. [4] The term of the council was five years. [7]
Six candidates contested the three Lagos seats, three from the NNDP and three from the NYM. Two of the NNDP candidates (Crispin Adeniyi-Jones and Eric Moore) were sitting Council members, whilst Ayo Williams ran as a joined NNDP and Nigerian Union of Young Democrats candidate, replacing former NNDP legislator T. A. Doherty. The NYM nominated Kofo Abayomi, Olayinka Alakija and H. S. A. Thomas.
In Calabar the independent Okon Efiong was the only candidate, and was elected unopposed. [8]
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nigerian Youth Movement | 1,506 | 64.83 | 3 | New | |
| Nigerian National Democratic Party | 817 | 35.17 | 0 | –3 | |
| Independents | 1 | +1 | |||
| Total | 2,323 | 100.00 | 4 | 0 | |
| Registered voters/turnout | 908 | – | |||
| Source: Tamuno | |||||
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H.S.A. Thomas | Nigerian Youth Movement | 520 | 22.38 | |
| Kofo Abayomi | Nigerian Youth Movement | 514 | 22.13 | |
| Olayinka Alakija | Nigerian Youth Movement | 472 | 20.32 | |
| Crispin Adeniyi-Jones | Nigerian National Democratic Party | 306 | 13.17 | |
| Eric Moore | Nigerian National Democratic Party | 272 | 11.71 | |
| Ayo Williams | Nigerian National Democratic Party | 239 | 10.29 | |
| Total | 2,323 | 100.00 | ||
| Valid votes | 2,323 | 100.00 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 0 | 0.00 | ||
| Total votes | 2,323 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 908 | 255.84 | ||
| Source: Tamuno | ||||
Governor Bernard Bourdillon appointed 15 unofficial members to the Legislative Council, of which seven were Europeans and eight Africans (an increase from seven Africans in the 1933 elections). The seven Europeans represented commercial interests, with three representing the banking, mining and shipping sectors, and four representing commercial interests of Calabar, Kano, Lagos and Port Harcourt. [9] The eight Africans represented the Colony of Lagos, Ijebu, Oyo Province, Rivers district, the Egba, Ibibio and the Ibo, as well as one seat representing the cities of Benin and Warri. The Ijebu and Ibibio seats were new, whilst the African Traders seat had been discontinued; its former representative B O E Amobi became the new appointed member for the Ibo, [10] after being nominated by the Onitsha Native Authority. [11] The Ibibio representative Nyong Essien was nominated by the Ibibio League, which was affiliated with the NYM. [11]
Three of the seven European appointed members were new; W V Wootton as the Calabar representative, D D Gibb as the banking representative and H H W Boyes as the mining representative. The only new African members were Nyong Essien and Nathaniel Olusoga, who represented the new seats. [10]
| Constituency | Member |
|---|---|
| Elected members | |
| Calabar | Okon Efiong |
| Lagos | H.S.A. Thomas |
| Kofo Abayomi | |
| Olayinka Alakija | |
| Nominated African members | |
| Benin & Warri | A Egbe |
| Colony | Henry Rawlingson Carr |
| Egba | Adeyemo Alakija |
| Ibibio | Nyong Essien |
| Ibo | B.O.E. Amobi |
| Ijebu | Nathaniel Olusoga |
| Oyo Province | N.D. Oyerinde |
| Rivers district | S.B. Rhodes |
| Nominated commercial members | |
| Banking | D.D. Gibb (British Bank of West Africa) |
| Mining | H.H.W. Boyes (Associated Tin Mines) |
| Shipping | H.S. Feggetter |
| Calabar | W.V. Wootton (John Holt & Co) |
| Kano | W.T. Ogden |
| Lagos | R.M. Williams (United Africa Company) |
| Port Harcourt | P.H. Davey |
| Source: Wheare | |
The next full Legislative Council elections were not held until 1947 due to World War II. By-elections were held to replace members in 1940 and 1941, before partial elections were held in 1943. Two additional African members were appointed in 1942 representing Ondo (M C Adeniyi) and British Cameroons (J M Williams). [10]
Akwa Ibom State is a state in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria, bordered on the east by Cross River State, on the west by Rivers State and Abia State, and on the south by the Atlantic Ocean. The state takes its name from the Qua Iboe River which bisects the state before flowing into the Bight of Bonny. Akwa Ibom was split from Cross River State in 1987 with her capital Uyo and with 31 local government areas.
The Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) was Nigeria's first political party.
Colonial Nigeria was ruled by the British Empire from the mid-nineteenth century until 1960 when Nigeria achieved independence. Britain annexed Lagos in 1861 and established the Oil River Protectorate in 1884. British influence in the Niger area increased gradually over the 19th century, but Britain did not effectively occupy the area until 1885. Other European powers acknowledged Britain's dominance over the area in the 1885 Berlin Conference.
Ernest Sissei Ikoli (1893–1960) was a Nigerian politician, nationalist and pioneering journalist; he was the first editor of the Daily Times. He was the president of the Nigerian Youth Movement and in 1942, represented Lagos in the Legislative Council.
Crispin Curtis Adeniyi-Jones (1876–1957) was a Nigerian medical doctor of Sierra Leonean heritage and the pioneer director of the Yaba asylum. He became one of Nigeria's foremost nationalists as a member and later president of the Nigerian National Democratic Party. He was also a long-standing member of the legislative council of Nigeria and served in the council from 1923 to 1938. Apart from his political activities, he also teamed up with Winifred Tete-Ansa of the National Congress of British West Africa to formulate economic policies to alleviate some of the emerging economic problems in colonial West Africa.
Chief Theophilus Adebayo Doherty was a Nigerian businessman and politician.
Samuel Akisanya was a Nigerian trade unionist and nationalist based in Lagos, Nigeria during the colonial era, one of the founders of the Nigerian Youth Movement. He was also the Oba of Isara, an office which he held from 1941 until his death. He is today widely regarded as the greatest king in the history of the city.
Sir Kofoworola Adekunle "Kofo" Abayomi, KBE was a Nigerian ophthalmologist and politician. He was one of the founders of the nationalist Nigerian Youth Movement in 1934 and went on to have a distinguished public service career. His last major public assignment was as chairman of the Lagos Executive Development Board from 1958 until 1966.
Nigerian nationalism asserts that Nigerians as a nation should promote the cultural unity of Nigerians. Nigerian nationalism is territorial nationalism and emphasizes a cultural connection of the people to the land, particularly the Niger and the Benue Rivers. It first emerged in the 1920s under the influence of Herbert Macaulay, who is considered to be the founder of Nigerian nationalism. It was founded because of the belief in the necessity for the people living in the British colony of Nigeria of multiple backgrounds to unite as one people to be able to resist colonialism. The people of Nigeria came together as they recognized the discrepancies of British policy. "The problem of ethnic nationalism in Nigeria came with the advent of colonialism. This happened when disparate, autonomous, heterogeneous and sub-national groups were merged to form a nation. Again, the colonialists created structural imbalances within the nation in terms of socio-economic projects, social development and establishment of administrative centres. This imbalance deepened the antipathies between the various ethnic nationalities in Nigeria ." The Nigerian nationalists' goal of achieving an independent sovereign state of Nigeria was achieved in 1960 when Nigeria declared its independence and British colonial rule ended. Nigeria's government has sought to unify the various peoples and regions of Nigeria since the country's independence in 1960.
General elections were held in Nigeria for the first time on 20 September 1923. The Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) won three of the four elected seats in the Legislative Council.
A by-election was held for the Lagos seat in the Legislative Council of Nigeria on 30 April 1926. It followed the death of incumbent Egerton Shyngle, who had been a member of the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP). John Caulcrick of the NNDP was elected with 69% of the vote.
General elections were held in Nigeria on 28 September 1928. The Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) won three of the four elected seats in the Legislative Council.
General elections were held in Nigeria in 1933. The Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) won three of the four elected seats in the Legislative Council.
A by-election was held for the Lagos seat in the Legislative Council of Nigeria in 1940. It followed the death of incumbent Olayinka Alakija, who had been a member of the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM). Jibril Martin of the NYM was elected with 64% of the vote.
A by-election was held for the Lagos seat in the Legislative Council of Nigeria on 5 March 1941. It was required after the incumbent member Kofo Abayomi of the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM) resigned in order to move to the United Kingdom to take up a Rhodes Scholarship in ophthalmology. Although Ernest Ikoli of the NYM was elected with 56% of the vote, the controversy caused by the election led to the eventual demise of the party.
Partial general elections were held in Nigeria in 1943, with only two of the four elected seats available.
A by-election was held for the Lagos seat in the Legislative Council of Nigeria in December 1945 to replace Jibril Martin of the Nigerian Youth Movement (NYM). It was won by Abubakar Olorun-Nimbe of the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP).
General elections were held in Nigeria in 1947. The Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) won three of the four elected seats in the Legislative Council.
Ibanga Akpabio was a Nigerian educator and government official who was a regional Minister of Education and later of Internal Affairs in the Eastern region, during Nigeria's first republic.
Nyong Essien Akpan Efio-Iwat Effembe Ebit Akpan Amaide Oku, traditional ruler, teacher, retired civil servant; Born on 9 November 1872, died 15 October 1976. He was 1st representative of Old Calabar Province in the Legislative Council in Lagos. 1st President of Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, Eastern Region, Nigeria. 1st installed President of Ibibio Union. 1st officially recognized Paramount Ruler of Uyo and 1st Nsom of Uruan. Chief Nyong Essien, was one of the pillars of Nigerian nationalism. He sat with the best at the table on which Nigeria's independence was being negotiated at home and abroad. In other words, the flamboyant chief was one of the prime architects of Nigeria's independence. Chief Nyong Essien in his own right has a unique place in the annals of Nigerian statesmen. He was fearless, vocal, persistent, broad minded and nationalistic in his approach. He intellectually fought for the enhancement of the traditional institutions of his people. Above all the high positions he occupied, Chief Nyong Essien abhorred corruption and refused to use his lofty and enviable positions he was privileged to hold, to acquire wealth as many would do.
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