CHAPTER ONE
1.0      INTRODUCTION
1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
A change of administration following a general election tests both the quality and the effectiveness of government. This research examines how such transitions have worked in Nigeria in the past, at different levels of the Nigerian government and in comparable parliamentary systems of the nation. The main focus is on elections where a change of government was expected to occur. The formal handover from one administration to another has generally been relatively smooth and uncontentious for the last two decade. However, the wider transition covers a much longer period, beginning well before a general election is called, and continuing well into the first few weeks, months and years of a new administration (Riddell and Haddon, 2009).
 Unlike other countries, transitions have not previously been studied in depth in Nigeria. There are many ways of measuring the success of a transition, even before subsequent historical assessments of a government’s policies. However, for those most closely involved at the heart of government, and for new governments entering office, the main test is effectiveness; how quickly a new government is able to get to grips with office and implement its plans. Good preparation can ensure a new minster and a department work more closely and more harmoniously together than they might otherwise do, and develop a better relationship sooner (Riddell and Haddon, 2009).
There are three uneasy participants in the marriage – the incumbent Government, the permanent Civil Service, and the Opposition (the government-in-waiting) – with a variety of interested, and vocal, onlookers in the media, think tanks, pressure groups, consultants, business, trade unions, and so on.
The Civil, and other, services are intended to be impartial, yet loyal to the Government of the day. Trust is, therefore, fundamental between current ministers and their senior civil servants. But it has been tested, at times severely, by Civil Service preparations for an alternative government, and any contacts, approved although covert, with the main Opposition party. It is a world of ambiguity and secretiveness rather than clarity and candour.
The effectiveness of transitions can be measured in several ways: are the incoming Government and the Civil Service adequately prepared to be up and running soon; is the new Government able to understand and begin using the levers of power quickly; is there a hiatus as new ministers and the Civil Service take time to get the measure of each other? (Riddell and Haddon, 2009).
The aim of Opposition parties is to win as many seats as possible at the next general election and to be able to form a government. Everything else is secondary. In practice, the behavior of Opposition parties depends on the political and electoral circumstances. Parties still, however, go through the motions of policy preparations, not least to convey the impression that they are a credible alternative government.
Some parties have no realistic hope of returning to power in the immediate future. But there are many ways in which the process of transition can be improved.