Session I: Election Administration Accomplishments
and Challenges
Keynote Address:
Dr. Attahiru Jega
Chairman of the Independent
National Electoral Commission of Nigeria
With remarks from:
Dr. Christopher Fomunyoh
NDI Senior Associate for Africa
Dr. Peter M. Lewis
Director of the SAIS African Studies Program
Session II: Observer Findings and Analyses
Panelists:
Carlo Binda
NDI Nigeria Senior Resident Director
Dr. Gwendolyn Mikell
Georgetown University Professor of Anthropology and Foreign Service
Richard L. Klein
NDI Senior Advisor for Election Processes
Eric Guttschuss
Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch
Jennifer Cooke
Director of the CSIS Africa Program
Moderated by:
Dr. Pauline Baker
President Emeritus at The Fund for Peace
Nigeria’s April 2011 elections represented a step forward from the seriously flawed elections of the past and hold the promise of new standards for integrity in Nigeria’s electoral process. Many domestic and international observer missions have commended the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the conduct of the security forces, citizen election observers and millions of voters who waited patiently to cast ballots and see them counted on election day. But, the polls also revealed persistent challenges and logistical problems that should be addressed to enhance the credibility of future elections. Furthermore, tensions in the wake of the presidential election led to serious incidents of violence in the northern part of the country.
During this event, INEC Chairman Dr. Attahiru Jega discussed the accomplishments and challenges faced by the electoral commission. Nonpartisan analysts, all of whom were in Nigeria during the elections, shared views of the electoral process and its potential impact on the consolidation of democratic governance in Africa’s most populous country.
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