ActionAid Nigeria (AAN) seeks to contract a short-term consultant to conduct a Political Economy Analysis on post-election justice delivery in recent elections in Nigeria and citizens’ engagements with the process. The analysis will provide a succinct overview of elections and post-justice delivery in Nigeria, vis Nigeria’s political system.

Goal and objectives: Citizens’ Led Engagements on Judicial Accountability in Post-Election Justice Delivery in Nigeria (CLEAP-Justice) Project

As the overall goal, the project seeks to contribute towards a more accountable post-election justice dispensation in Nigeria through citizens’ actions.

Specifically, our approach seeks to

Objective 1: Build citizens’ consciousness on the statutory roles of the judiciary in dispensing election-related justice.

Objective 2: Support citizen and citizen group actions that will promote accountability of the judges and lawyers towards the dispensation of justice in electoral cases.

Objective 3: Strengthen the institution of Judiciary through soft interventions.

Rationale

The nature of elections in Nigeria since the return of democracy in 1999 has been characterized by rigging, vote buying, violence, thuggery, corruption, manipulation of the voters’ registers, falsification of results, and calculated disenfranchisement of voters, among others. The 2023 General elections were not different as it was characterized by several allegations of malpractices and vast positions of contradictions and non-adherence to the provisions of the 2022 Electoral Act by INEC.

By the constitution, the judiciary is mandated with the responsibility to interpret and adjudicate the law. The Constitution and Electoral Act make explicit provisions on the timeframe within which an aggrieved person can institute a legal case challenging the result of an election. Notwithstanding the above-stated provisions, the role of the judiciary in post-election tribunals has been marred by alleged judicial irregularities, that failed to resolve electoral disputes, ensure accountability, and help uphold the rule of law.

This PEA became necessary to aid us in generating programming tools, and stakeholder mapping and provide deeper context and data for the effective implementation of the project.

Goal and Objectives of the Study

This PEA aims to analyse post-election justice delivery in recent elections in Nigeria and citizens’ engagement with the process. The analysis will provide a succinct overview of elections and post-justice delivery in Nigeria, vis Nigeria’s political system.

The specific objectives are:

1. To generate requisite data on post-election justice delivery in recent elections, integrating/reflecting both the dynamics and trends since 1999.
2. To map out the key actors, influencers, and the power dynamic structures in the judiciary.
3. To measure the extent of citizens’ engagement in post-election justice delivery and their knowledge of judicial processes.

Key Review Questions Formulated under each Objective

Specifically, the PEA should seek to respond to the following:

1. How many cases arose from the 2023 General Election?
2. Using a comparative matrix, which geopolitical zone in Nigeria had the most election cases?
3. How many of these cases have been decided so far?
4. What were the issues underlining the delivery of these cases?
5. What is the impact of (d) above on judicial accountability in Nigeria?
6. What are the key actors, influencers, and power dynamic structures in the judiciary?
7. To what extent did citizens engage in the electoral cases emanating from the 2023 general election?
8. To what extent are Nigerian citizens knowledgeable about electoral and judicial processes?

Methodology

This will involve an in-depth desk review from which the PEA should emanate. However, the research lead is expected to develop a methodology framework and share it with AAN for approval.

Key Documents for Reference

AAN will provide the Theory of Change for the Citizens’ Led Engagements on Judicial Accountability in Post-Election Justice Delivery in Nigeria (CLEAP-Justice) with funds from the Ford Foundation.

Other relevant information will be provided on request, while the research is expected to access the resource materials relevant to the PEA

Contract Period and Compensation

The duration of the contract is 10 days starting from Monday, October 5th, 2023.

The remuneration will be liable to a withholding tax of 5%, which will be paid as follows: An initial 50% of the total sum involved is to be paid after the contract has been awarded, while the balance 50% paid upon satisfactory completion and submission of all work done.

The consultant will communicate closely with and update the Governance Manager and the Project Coordinator. Frequency of communication and updates are to be agreed upon.

Roles and Responsibilities

The section below outlines key roles and responsibilities to be assigned to the consultant in the study process. The consultant shall work with the Governance Programme Manager and the CLEAP-Justice Project team of ActionAid Nigeria.

Specifically, the consultant shall:

1. Agree on the ToR with ActionAid Nigeria, including the scope, deliverables, timeframe, and procedures of the study.
2. Submit a research methodology showing an understanding of the Terms of Reference and outlining the technical proposal for this piece of work.
3. Undertake a desk review including analysis of changes in policies and contexts.
4. Agree on the reporting template for the study with ActionAid Nigeria.
5. Produce detailed data tables and the draft report and submit it to ActionAid Nigeria.
6. Present findings to the ActionAid Nigeria team at the validation meeting.
7. Produce the final report integrating the inputs and feedback provided during the validation meeting with the ActionAid Nigeria team.

Deliverables

A detailed report highlighting amongst others:

• A Political Economy Analysis of post-election justice delivery in recent elections in Nigeria.
•  The extent of citizens’ engagements with post-election justice delivery in Nigeria and their knowledge of electoral and judicial processes.
• Analysis, Interpretation, and Implications for Programming
• Detailed prefixes and references.

Required Knowledge and Experience:

The Consultant is expected to have the following qualifications.

• Minimum of master’s degree in Development, Law, Political Economy, Economics, Public Administration, Statistics, or any of the related social science disciplines.
• At least 10 years of progressive experience working in the areas of democracy, justice delivery in elections and development research.
• Excellent facilitation, writing and reporting skills.
• Computer literate and able to apply Microsoft Office and other analytical tools efficiently.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal relations skills
• An excellent team player
• Strong academic background with an in-depth knowledge of the judiciary and political environment in Nigeria.
• Experience in conducting mapping and assessment in Nigeria.
• Proven ability to plan and manage work efficiently including to competing deadlines.
• Excellent English writing and communication skills
• Ability to effectively distil complex messages into easy formats.
• Ability to work unsupervised and with a high degree of independence.
• Proven ability to identify risks and issues and to escalate appropriately.

Submission of expression of interest

The selected consultant will sign a contract with AAN and is responsible for acquiring other relevant tools needed for the task.

Interested consultants are invited to apply by sending a technical proposal (max 8 sides of A4) for the Political Economy Analysis, including data collection methodology and work plan, sampling strategy, and data collection tools; CV detailing competency, links to a sample of past works, and any other relevant information, demonstrating skill and experience in this area. Applicants should include an invoice detailing the daily rate. Applications should be submitted electronically in Microsoft Word to:procurement.nigeria@actionaid.org  by October 1st, 2023, with the subject line PEA on Post-Election Justice.

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.