Franchise and suffrage

Hello my wonderful students! Today, we are going to learn about something very important in our democracy: Franchise and Suffrage.

These big words simply mean your right to vote. In Nigeria, voting is how we choose our leaders.

### What is Franchise?

This means that if you have the franchise, you can both vote for someone and also be voted for, like becoming a President or a Governor.

Think of it like this: If you have a driver's license, you have the franchise to drive a car. You can drive, and you can also apply to be a commercial driver.

In Nigeria, our Constitution gives certain people this franchise.

### What is Suffrage?

Suffrage is a bit simpler. It just means you have the right to cast your vote for a leader, but not necessarily the right to be a leader yourself.

So, if you have suffrage, you can vote for Mr. Bigi to be your ward councillor, but you might not be old enough or qualified to be a councillor yourself.

### What is the difference between Franchise and Suffrage?

The main difference is that Franchise is a broader term. It includes both the right to vote (suffrage) and the right to stand for election.

Suffrage only talks about the right to vote.

You can say that suffrage is a part of franchise. All those who have franchise also have suffrage, but not all who have suffrage have the right to stand for election.

For example, in Nigeria, you can vote at 18 years old. That is your suffrage.

But to be a President, you must be 40 years old. To be a Governor, you must be 35. These age requirements are part of the franchise to 'stand for election'.

### Types of Suffrage

1. Universal Suffrage: This means almost everyone can vote, regardless of their wealth, gender, tribe, or education. In Nigeria, once you are 18 and a citizen, you can vote. This is universal suffrage.

2. Restricted Suffrage: This means only certain people can vote, based on things like owning land, being male, or paying a lot of tax. Luckily, Nigeria does not use restricted suffrage anymore.

Before, during colonial times, only rich people or certain groups could vote. That was restricted suffrage.

### Conditions for Voting in Nigeria

According to our 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the Electoral Act:

You must be a citizen of Nigeria.

You must be at least 18 years old.

You must be resident in Nigeria and have lived in your voting area for some time.

You must have registered with INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) and collected your Permanent Voter's Card (PVC).

You must not be insane or declared unsound of mind.

These conditions ensure that only eligible Nigerians participate in choosing our leaders. So, when you turn 18, make sure to get your PVC and exercise your right!