Historique

The Democratic Governance for Development (DGD) project is managed by UNDP in support of elections and more broadly, the deepening of democracy in Nigeria. It is funded with contributions from The European Union, the UK Department for International Development (DfID), UNDP, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The project duration is 2010-2015. It aims to consolidate and advance democratic governance and accountability in Nigeria to achieve the country’s stated development priorities and outcomes as specified in the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) and the Country Programme Action Plan (CPAP).

These objectives are pursued through four components:

• Promoting Credible, Transparent and Sustainable Electoral Processes
• Improving the Democratic Quality of Political Engagement
• Enhancing Participation by Women, Youth and other marginalized group
• Strengthening Channels of Civic Engagement.
  

As part of support for credible, transparent and sustainable electoral processes in Nigeria, DGD is supporting the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct series of reforms. These reforms are partly aimed at addressing institutional and administrative weaknesses that undermined the capacity of the Commission to organize free, fair and credible elections in the past.  On major source of such weaknesses is the way INEC handles litigations arising from the conduct of elections.  Before and after each election, the Commission receives numerous complaints from candidates, political parties and the wider public on diverse aspects of the electoral process.  For instance, prior to the 2011 elections, INEC received three hundred and three petitions, excluding those that went to court.  After the polls, there were 1,165 petitions out of which 731 went to court.  The Commission is either a direct litigant or is joined in many of these cases.  However, there is presently no systematic process of reviewing the rulings and judgments on these cases.  Yet, these could provide a rich source of knowledge about the performance of the Commission as an election management body.

To address this gap in knowledge, DGD is seeking to engage the services  of consultants to serve on a Committee on Review of Judgments on Elections Cases (COREC).

Devoirs et responsabilités

Objective of the assignment:

The overall objective of the assignment is to strengthen the capacity of INEC to conduct free, fair and credible election and create a stock of knowledge on the management of elections in Nigeria.

Summary of Key Functions and Deliverables
The Consultants are expected to perform the following tasks:

• Review selected election court judgements and draw experience for future institutional and electoral reforms, including strengthening existing legal framework.
• Examine the performance of the Commission and other stakeholders in the conduct of specific elections and litigations and recommend areas of improvement for the future.
• Propose specific improvements to the administration of “electoral justice” by INEC including litigation, appointment of lawyers and internal organization of the Legal Department of the Commission.
  

Deliverables:

•  A comprehensive report on the cases/judgements and legal opinion/policy paper to be considered by the Commission.
• A detailed analysis of the actions for inaction by the Commission and other principal stakeholders in the elections to which the cases are related.
• A compendium of recommendations to the Commission on the improvements to electoral justice administration and organization of the Legal Department, including changes to the electoral legal framework, where necessary.
  

Supervision

Strategic guidance and supervision will be provided by the DGD Project Director

Compétences

Competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards
• Promotes the vision, mission, and strategic goals of UNDP
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability
• Treats all people fairly without favoritism

Qualifications et expériences requises

• At least a Bachelor of Law degree or any social science related field
• A postgraduate degree in Law will be an advantage

Experience:

• 10-15 years’ relevant experience and proven track record in legal and constitutional law.
• Knowledge of Nigeria’s electoral law and context
• Demonstrated knowledge of democratic governance issues is an added advantage;
• Excellent analytical, research, writing and communication skills with experience designing and analysing questionnaires;
• Prior experience with United Nations agencies is an advantage.
• Computer skills

Language Requirements:

• Fluency in English – both written and spoken – are essential.
  

 Payment modality

Lump sum payment of NGN  (excluding travel costs)  will be made based on the following:

• 40% payment upon submission of COREC methodology and work plan
• 60% payment upon submission and clearance of final review report incorporating key recommendations