civilian-to-civilian handover of power in the nation’s history. The 2007 national and state general elections are also significant in that they mark a record eight years of continuous, elected civilian rule in the country since 1960. In other words, Nigeria’s civilian democracy and political governance are relatively young and are undergoing transition. The culture of hierarchical military authority that does not have at its core transparency and accountability to independent structures exercising oversight is still evident in this transitional period, even though a lot of progress has been, and is being, made with the democratisation of Nigerian society and modes of governance. 158. It is in this context that the people and political leaders of the country should be commended for the peaceful manner in which they have resolved the disputes arising from the 2007 elections. There is evidence that the country is finally turning its back on militaristic and other violent means to resolve political disputes, preferring instead to resort to courts of law and other peaceable means. This augurs well for the evolution of the rule of law and constitutional democracy. In fact, promotion of the rule of law is on President Yar’Adua’s seven-point agenda. 159. There are a number of salient features that seem to define democracy and political governance in the country. Among these are the following: • Since the 1990s, there have been repeated efforts to nationalise the political party process, which has led to a proliferation of political parties and other informal political formations, even though this has not resulted in a better-managed political process. What seems clear about the political process in Nigeria today is that the intense interethnic competition of the past through ethnic-based political mobilisation has largely disappeared. The three largest parties in Nigeria today – the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the Action Congress (AC) and the All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP) – are vast multiethnic coalitions, which augurs well for Nigerian integration as a nation. • Similarly, the political space has been expanding and the growing voice of civil society has become more clearly heard over a long period. This has culminated in a new civilian dispensation. Ironically, the rise of civil society over the past 20 years began during the period of military regimes, since many of the civil society organisations (CSOs) were conceived in opposition to oppressive and arbitrary rule. Today, there is a plethora of human rights and women’s nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) which are capable champions of reform and are developing new strategies and tactics under civilian rule, such as enhancing access to the legislature, serving in watchdog roles, and encouraging more effective citizen participation in local affairs. • Increasingly, the judiciary is growing in autonomy and serving as a check on executive impunity. In particular, the Supreme Court and federal Courts of Appeal are clearly emerging as islands of integrity in what is commonly viewed as a judicial system in which independence is compromised. The National Judicial Council and the newly created National Judicial Institute are both working to improve judicial 65