The National Democratic Institute is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to support and strengthen democratic institutions worldwide through citizen participation, openness and accountability in government.

Nigeria’s April 2011 elections marked a significant and welcome improvement over previous elections; since Nigeria returned to civilian rule in 1999, the quality of elections had progressively declined. Instead of following this pattern, the April 2011 elections were seen as among the most credible the country has ever held. Independent international and domestic observation groups noted that despite numerous challenges, including persistent election-related violence in some parts of the country, the results of these elections reflected citizens’ choices at the ballot box. The majority of the country’s polling stations functioned properly, the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) demonstrated greater transparency in the ballot counting process, and results were for the first time posted at the polling units, all of which contributed to citizens’ confidence in the election results. A number of state gubernatorial polls held since the 2011 general election have so far confirmed this trend towards a more peaceful, transparent and credible election process.

• Election Commission Head, Observers Highlight Progress and Remaining Challenges in how Nigeria Conducts Elections»

Despite positive improvements in election management, violence was a major problem in the April elections, especially following the presidential poll. According to Human Rights Watch, more than 800 people died during the 2011 election cycle. The most widespread violence occurred in Northern Nigeria in the days following INEC’s declaration that incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan had won the presidential poll. And while the elections were overall judged as credible and a marked improvement over previous polls, there were reports in some parts of the country of ballot box stuffing, vote buying, and voter intimidation.

NDI Programs

Since Nigeria's 1998-99 transition from military to civilian rule, NDI has worked closely with Nigerian democrats to support the development of the country's nascent democratic institutions.

Citizen Engagement in Political Processes

Following the 2011 elections, NDI is assisting citizen groups to advocate for electoral reform to improve the electoral laws before the next general elections. A number of prominent civic groups and political parties attended an electoral reform conference in September 2011 where they prioritized recommendations and committed to advocate for those reforms; several of these groups have now formed a coalition, the Partners for Electoral Reform (PER), to advocate for change. PER produced a briefing document that suggests electoral reform, which they have begun to share with legislators and other electoral stakeholders. Another group, the Youth Alliance for Constitutional Review, has submitted Nigerian youth’s priorities for constitutional and electoral reform. NDI also supported a citizen group, Human Rights Monitor (HRM) to observe the adjudication process for individuals involved in electoral offenses during the April general elections. According to HRM, though INEC has the mandate to prosecute electoral offenders, it does not have the resources or staff to fulfill this duty, and as a result the group recommends the creation of a new electoral offenses commission that would take on this responsibility.

NDI is also working with citizen organizations to help youth engage more in the political process outside the election cycle. NDI partner Youngstars Foundation produced and broadcast a film called “After Count,” which educates young Nigerians on how to engage with their elected representatives and contribute to the governance of their country. The film has reached more than six million Nigerians across the country. NDI is also working with the Nigerian group Forward in Action for Education, Poverty and Malnutrition to produce a series of radio dramas, which will be broadcast in Northern Nigeria in April 2013. The series focuses on themes of citizenship and democratic participation and will address some of the main barriers to active civic engagement, especially for youth.

Strengthening Electoral Processes

Strengthening Nigeria's electoral processes has consistently remained one of the main goals of NDI's programs. NDI has trained domestic election monitors and deployed international observers for every general election since 1999.

• Observing the 1998-99 Nigeria Elections, Final Report»
• NDI International Delegation to Observe Nigeria's 2003 Elections»
• Preliminary Statement of the NDI International Election Observer Delegation to Nigeria's National Assembly Elections»
• Statement of the NDI/Carter Center Pre-election Delegation to Nigeria»
• Second Report by NDI and The Carter Center on the 2003 Nigerian Electoral Process»
• Nigerian Election Watch 2003, Issues 1-5»
• Statement of NDI's International Election Observer Delegation to Nigeria's Presidential and Gubernatorial Elections»
• Nigeria's April 12 Elections Unfolded More Positively Than Expected, But Concerted Steps Must Be Taken If The 2003 Elections Are To Be Credible»
• Domestic Monitoring of Nigeria's 2003 Elections: A Report on NDI and Partners' Participation»
• NDI Sponsors International Pre-Election Delegation to Nigeria»
• Statement of the NDI International Pre-Election Delegation to Nigeria»
• Nigerian Election Watch 2007, Issues 1 -5»
• Statement of NDI's Election Observer Delegation to Nigeria's Presidential and National Elections»
• Extraordinary Measures Needed to Restore Credibility and Confidence in Nigeria's Electoral Process»
• Final NDI Report on Nigeria’s 2007 Elections»
• Statement by Kenneth Wollack Before the Committee on Foreign Affairs, "Nigeria at the Crossroads"»
• Keynote Address Given by NDI Delegation Co-Leader Joe Clark: Nigeria Post-election Analysis»

During the 2011 elections, NDI fielded a comprehensive and long-term international observation mission. NDI fielded a pre-election assessment team in October 2010 and 12 long-term international observers from January until May 2011. NDI also deployed a total of 50 international observers for the National Assembly polls and 30 for the presidential election.

• NDI Delegation Finds Encouraging Developments and Significant Hurdles as Nigeria Prepares for 2011 Elections»
• Statement of the National Democratic Institute Pre-Election Assessment Mission to Nigeria's 2011 Elections»
• Election Commission Chair Pledges Best Effort to Improve 2011 Nigeria Elections»
• Nigeria Election Watch 2011, Issues 1-3»
• NDI International Election Mission to Observe April 9 Nigerian National Assembly Polls»
• Despite Problems, National Assembly Elections Give Nigerians a Real Chance to Vote, NDI Mission Finds»
• NDI Delegation to Observe April 16 Presidential Election in Nigeria»
• Nigerian Elections Hold the Promise of Setting New Integrity Standard, NDI Mission Finds»
• Statement of NDI's International Election Observer Mission to Nigeria’s April 16 Presidential Election»
• Final Report on the Nigeria 2011 Elections

The Institute provided financial and technical assistance to two coalitions of Nigerian civil society organizations that deployed more than 30,000 Nigerian domestic election monitors for the 2011 general elections. NDI’s partnership with one of the coalitions, Project Swift Count (PSC), included the conduct of a statistical observation method known as parallel vote tabulation (PVT) or “swift count,” with which the group verified the accuracy of the official results for the presidential and four gubernatorial elections. With NDI’s support, PSC established a nationwide system to collect and analyze information from observers at a representative sample of polling units in every local government area in the country. With NDI’s assistance, PSC also carried out PVTs for gubernatorial elections in eight states from December 2011 to October 2012, verifying the accuracy of these polls’ official results. A second NDI-supported coalition, the Domestic Election Observation Groups, collected rapid-response, detailed incident reports from around the country using text messages that allowed the group to alert appropriate government officials of problems during the April polls.

• Citizen monitoring activities in Nigeria»
• Coalition to Monitor Vote for Better Elections in Nigeria»
• Nigerian Citizen Observation Groups Boosts Confidence in Registration Exercise»

The Institute also provided technical assistance to the organizers of presidential debates and worked with civic groups to conduct issue-based voter education programs that provided more than 100 million Nigerians with detailed information on the general election voting process and discussion about choosing candidates based on their policy platforms. NDI also provided assistance to local organizations to conduct voter education ahead of gubernatorial elections in Adamawa, Sokoto, and Edo states in February and July 2012.

• Film Urges Nigerians to 'Activate the Power of their Thumb'»

• Nigeria 2011 Post-Election Multilogue»
• Catalogue of Recommendations to Improve the Nigerian Electoral Process»

Legislative Strengthening

In 2009, NDI concluded a six-year legislative strengthening program to enhance the ability of the National Assembly to legislate effectively and conduct oversight of the executive branch. NDI also helped civil society organizations in improving their advocacy skills and their ability to seek accountability from the legislative and executive branches.

• Program Helps Nigerian Civic Groups Find Footing With National Assembly»
• Government and Opposition Workshop: Roles, Rights and Responsibilities»
• Representatives from the Nigeria Governor's Forum Delegation Visit NDI»
• An Appropriations Toolkit for the National Assembly of Nigeria»
• Budget Oversight Discussed at NDI/World Bank Institute Seminar»
• Strengthening Links Between the Nigerian National Assembly and the Pre-Communes on Poverty Reduction Implementation and Monitoring»
• African Legislatures Work to Promote Extractive Industry Accountability»

NDI's current program in Nigeria is jointly funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID).

Contact Information

For more information about these programs, use our contact form or contact:

Washington, D.C.
Rakeb Abate, Program Manager
rabate@ndi.org

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