2011 Nigeria National Elections
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The pre-election environment leading up to the 2011 elections was pre-dominantly shaped by the
aftermath of Nigeria's discredited 2007 elections, which were widely recognized by Nigerians and the
international community to be the most poorly organized and fraudulent in the country's history.
Factors contributing to the poor 2007 elections included: a fraudulent voter register; polling stations
that opened late or not at all; stuffed ballot boxes; snatched ballot boxes; lack of voting privacy;
violence and intimidation at polling stations; falsified results sheets; and, underage voting. The
country's political leadership had preordained the outcome of the elections before voters went to the
polls, and INEC—established to objectively oversee the elections—not only failed to make logistical
preparations, but acted under the auspices of the ruling PDP to ensure an outcome favorable to that
party's candidates. Low voter turnout, moreover, highlighted the public's disillusionment with their
government and indicated how little faith Nigerians had that their votes would be fairly counted.
Electoral Reform Committee
Following the failed 2007 elections there was a palpable and immediate need for reform. President
Shehu Mura Yar'Adua—elected in that flawed poll and facing enormous pressure to alter Nigeria's
international image—acknowledged in his inaugural address the necessity to improve Nigeria's
election process. Soon after, he created the Electoral Reform Committee, chaired by retired Chief
Justice Mohammed Uwais, and tasked it with holding nationwide consultations and offering
recommendations to hold free and fair elections in the future. The committee consulted with
individuals, institutions and governments, and held public hearings in two state capitals in each of
the six geopolitical zones. Moreover, the Electoral Reform Committee reviewed Nigeria's
constitution, as well as the 2002 Electoral Act and 2006 Electoral Act, to determine what needed to
be improved to promote a more efficient, transparent electoral process.
The
was completed and submitted to President Yar'Adua in December 2008. Among
its various observations and recommendations, the report called for a review of Nigeria's political
party system and for amending Nigeria's 1999 constitution to make INEC more independent of the
executive branch. The Uwais Report also noted the instrumental role that civil society played in
positively impacting Nigerian politics, and thus recommended that all civil society organizations be
empowered legally to more effectively function as sentinels of democracy. Although many of the
report's recommendations were initially voted down in the national assembly, or not even brought to
the floor for a vote, the Uwais Report nevertheless established a comprehensive framework for
electoral reform and identified the numerous areas to be addressed by the government as it prepared
for the 2011 national elections.
2010 Electoral Act
Because of concerns related to corruption and close alignment with the PDP in past elections,
INEC needed to regain its credibility as the 2011 elections drew nearer. Using many of the
recommendations listed in the Uwais Report, the 2010 Electoral Act amended particular aspects of
the 2006 Electoral Act that had proved ineffective or discriminating. Most importantly, it made
INEC a first-line budget item, guaranteeing that necessary funding would be made available in the
federal budget. This change drastically reduced INEC's financial dependency on the executive
branch and, as a result, increased the institution's overall independence. In addition, the 2010
Electoral Act placed a cap on how much money could be legally spent on individual campaigns.
