The elective principle was first introduced under

Answer Details

The elective principle was first introduced in Nigeria under the Clifford Constitution of 1922. Before this constitution, all members of the Legislative Council were either officials or nominated by the Governor. The Clifford Constitution broke new ground by allowing a limited number of Nigerians to be elected to the Legislative Council for the first time.

Specifically, the Clifford Constitution provided for four elected African members: three representing Lagos and one representing Calabar. Only adult males who earned a minimum annual income of 100 pounds were eligible to vote, making the franchise highly restrictive. Despite these limitations, it was a significant milestone because it introduced the concept of elective representation into Nigerian governance.

The introduction of the elective principle also stimulated the formation of political parties in Nigeria, notably Herbert Macaulay's Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) in 1923, which was formed specifically to contest the elections made possible by the Clifford Constitution.

The Richards Constitution (1946) introduced regionalism. The Macpherson Constitution (1951) expanded the elective principle with wider suffrage. The Lyttleton Constitution (1954) introduced federalism. None of these constitutions first introduced the elective principle.