uninterrupted period Nigerians have known since the country was granted self-rule by the British imperialists in 1960. In the 48 years since 1960, the country has experienced 31 years of cumulative military rule and less than a total of 18 years of civilian rule. The country is operating under the 1999 constitution that maintained a strong presidential system, reminiscent of the military regime that oversaw its drafting and adoption. It is not particularly designed to ensure a high degree of separation of powers with checks and balances among the three branches of government. 213. In practice, the principle of separation of powers with its inherent checks and balances has been problematic, largely because of the excessive powers of the executive vis-à-vis the legislature and judiciary – a legacy of the long period of military rule. At all tiers of government, the executive has been able to remove uncooperative leadership of the legislature or deny the legislature operating funds. The constitution provides for a bill of rights. However, such rights are routinely violated by state and government officials and functionaries without meaningful recourse to the judiciary for redress. The electoral system and competitive elections 214. The 1999 constitution provides citizens with the right to change their government peacefully through periodic, free and fair elections held on the basis of universal suffrage. However, that right has been curtailed since competitive elections are generally marred by violence, fraud and the use of money to attain power. This has called into question not only the impartiality and independence of INEC, but also the credibility of the electoral system. To his credit, President Yar’Adua has personally acknowledged that the 2007 general and presidential elections were flawed, even though the Court of Appeal subsequently upheld the results of the presidential elections. The decision is being taken on appeal to the Supreme Court, the highest court in the republic. The president has promised electoral reforms following contestation by the opposition. Traditional rulers 215. As has already been indicated in the report, the role of traditional leaders is not provided for in the constitution. Nevertheless, traditional leaders and rulers are firmly entrenched in the history of the country and they continue to play important political roles, especially at state and local government levels. For many rural Nigerians, traditional leaders serve as an important link to institutions of the Nigerian state. Traditional governance undoubtedly has the potential to provide for meaningful political participation. The national and state governments recognise the importance of traditional leaders and often seek their counsel. Reform of the security sector 216. 90 Since the return to civilian rule in 1999, the two successive civilian governments have accorded high priority to civil control of the security sector. The government has embarked on major changes in the police force