2011 Nigeria National Elections
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The professionalism and independence of INEC, specifically the appointment of Chairman
Jega and Nigerians' confidence in his leadership and ability to oversee open and transparent
elections;
A more proper role of security forces; and
A reduction in election-related violence.
As Nigeria enters the final stage of the electoral process for the presidential election and prepares for
the gubernatorial, state assembly and local government elections, IRI's delegation encourages the
political parties and election and government officials at all levels to respect the will of voters by
conducting the vote tabulation in a transparent and honest manner. The delegation further
encourages all candidates and their followers to accept legitimate results and file legitimate
complaints with the proper authorities.
In meetings with IRI and other international election observation delegations, Chairman Jega has
said that Nigerians must not rest on their laurels and that they must continue to build on the high
election standards set on April 16. In this context, IRI will issue a comprehensive report in the
future which will include recommendations on how Nigeria can continue to strengthen its election
institutions and processes. Among the issues to be covered in those recommendations will be: 1)
revisiting recommendations of the Electoral Reform Committee which were not adopted by the
national assembly; 2) improving the voter list to ensure people are properly registered; 3)
strengthening civic education so all Nigerians fully understand the nature of the election process and
their role; 4) ensuring that the political parties evolve into constructive actors in the process,
respecting democratic values in their internal behavior and commitment to transparent elections; 5)
addressing the problem of underage voting; and 6) ensuring polling stations have a manageable
number of registered voters.
While violence has been relatively low during these elections, the IRI delegation extends its
sympathy for those people and their families who have died or been injured during the process.
Representatives from Bangladesh, Canada, Estonia, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mexico, Norway,
Sierra Leone, Slovenia and the United States observed accreditation, voting and ballot counting in
Abuja, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Cross Rivers, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Lagos, Nasarawa
and Ogun.
IRI's delegation was led by former Slovenian Prime Minister and current Member of Parliament
Janez Janša and Constance Berry Newman, member of IRI's Board of Directors, former Assistant
Secretary of State for African Affairs and former U.S. Agency for International Development
Assistant Administrator for Africa.
Other IRI delegates were:
Nadia Diuk, Vice President, Programs – Africa, Central Europe and Eurasia, Latin America
and Caribbean at the National Endowment for Democracy;
Valerie Dowling, Political Director for the National Federation of Republican Women;
Rich Galen, political strategist and commentator;
Deborah Grey, former member of the Canadian Parliament and first-ever female leader of
the official opposition;
