voting rights in some capacities. Namely, though these regulations granted universal adult suffrage in both the Eastern and Western regions, the federal legislature respected the local regulations that maintained adult male suffrage in the North. The federal electoral regulations developed under the previous periods (with the notable exceptions of gender restrictions in some regions and taxation requirements in all regions) merged to form a generally unified approach to voting rights. The distinction of regulations concerning state elections also remained. Second Nigerian Republic (1979-1983) Under the Nigerian constitution of 1979, voting rights, or the right to register as a voter, were extended to all citizens of Nigeria who resided in Nigeria at the time of voter registration. Though the previous general elections only involved the election of members into legislative bodies, the 1979 Constitution provided for the election of the President and Vice-President by those granted the ability to vote in legislative elections. Third Nigerian Republic (1992-1993) The Nigerian constitution of 1993, which was intended to usher in democratic rule, was never fully implemented. Fourth Nigerian Republic (1999-) Under the Nigerian constitution of 1999 and the Electoral Act of 2010, voting rights mirrored the provisions of the Second Nigerian Republic in which all citizens of Nigeria who resided in Nigeria at the time of voter registration were entitled to register as a voter. Minority rights Women Female suffrage was initially granted with regional specificity. In the Igbo-dominated eastern region and the Yoruba-dominated western region, women were allowed the right to vote in 1954. Though the Elections (House of Representatives) Regulations of 1958 standardized the federal distribution of voting rights across the nation, women in the northern region remained unable to vote until the late 70s. Universal suffrage was achieved finally in 1979 when women in northern states were granted the right to vote. Nigeria was engaged involved in a broader West African debate about the role of women in electoral processes. Under pressure from parties such as the Women's Movement of Nigeria (WM) and the women wing of the Action Group (AG), British government and Nigerian underwent a series of constitutional conferences in order to ascertain the methods through which elections would be framed post-British colonization. The Lyttelton Constitution of 1954 afforded tax-paying Southern Nigerian women the right to vote and to be elected. However, due to the fact that many women did not pay taxes, the female electoral base was