NDI - Nigeria

Catalogue of Recommendations to Improve the Nigerian Electoral Process

fgalleto — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:34:49 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

09/14/2011

Resource Type:

Report

Language:

English

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Nigeria 2011: Post-Election Multilogue

fgalleto — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:32:29 +0000

Author:

National Democratic Institute

Publisher:

National Democratic Institute

Published Date:

09/14/2011

Resource Type:

Report

Language:

English

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Read the report	1.13 MB

Nigerian Film Challenges Young Citizens to Engage with Elected Leaders

ntekeei — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 14:48:20 +0000

A civic education film recently released in Nigeria asks the question, in Nigerian pidgin, “Aftercount, I Vote Wetin?” or “I Voted, Now What?” It was made by the Youngstars Foundation, a Nigerian nonprofit organization, with the goal of encouraging younger Nigerians to stay involved in the political process between elections. The group is run primarily by young people and has reached tens of thousands of youths in rural and urban Nigeria.

Cast and crew prepare to film a scene on the set of “Aftercount, I Vote Wetin?”

Approximately one-third of Nigeria’s 170 million people are between the age of 10 and 24, according to the United Nations. The foundation seeks to inspire this large youth population to become community leaders.

The film tells the story of a young man named Jairo and his journey from citizen to activist as he attempts to bring water to his village after his sister is injured carrying water home across a dangerous intersection. With help from a local civic group, Jairo lobbies his state representative to address water access problems. In the process, he gains a better understanding of cooperation and about the power of citizens to bring about positive change.

Watch the film

Produced with technical and financial assistance from NDI, the film stars two popular Nigerian actors, Ali Nuhu and Lilian Esoro, and Nigerian musician Jeremiah Gyang, who donated their time to the film. Esoro said she joined the project because she wanted young Nigerians “to learn that it’s actually easy to communicate with the people they voted into power because their votes actually count.”

Youngstars released an accompanying handbook to help aid discussions about political engagement at viewing parties across the country. To further promote the film, the movie’s theme song will be released to radio stations across Nigeria.

“I Vote Wetin?” is the second film collaboration between NDI and the Youngstars Foundation. The first film, “My Vote Can Change Nigeria,” (“My Vote Fit Change Naija”) highlighted the importance of voting. The film reached an estimated 45 million Nigerians around the country and abroad through social networking sites, television broadcasts and youth-initiated viewing parties.

NDI has been actively supporting Nigeria throughout its recent election cycles, which have seen significant improvements over previous polls. NDI fielded a long-term international observation mission for the parliamentary and presidential elections in 2011. The Institute also provided financial and technical assistance to two coalitions of Nigerian civil society organizations that deployed more than 30,000 Nigerian domestic election monitors. NDI’s partnership with one coalition, Project Swift Count, included the use of a statistical observation method known as a parallel vote tabulation (PVT), or “swift count,” which the group used to verify the accuracy of the official results for the presidential and 11 gubernatorial elections that took place in 2011 and 2012.

Related:

Published April 12, 2012

Statement on the Kebbi Gubernatorial Election – Held 31 March 2012

ntekeei — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:45:12 +0000

Author:

Project Swift Count

Publisher:

Project Swift Count

Published Date:

04/02/2012

Resource Type:

Statement

Language:

English

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Project Swift Count Observes Five Gubernatorial Races in Nigeria

ntekeei — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:56:46 +0000

In recent gubernatorial elections in Nigeria, election officials adhered to correct voting procedures and handled ballots according to the law, but the polls were marked by increased voter intimidation and low turnout. These were the findings of Project Swift Count (PSC), a domestic election observation coalition that undertook a parallel vote tabulation (PVT) for five gubernatorial races that took place since December.

A poll official displays a ballot during Nigeria's April 2011 presidential elections.

As part of a PVT, observers gather data on every stage of an election process, from the opening of polling units to the counting of ballots to the posting of results.

The PSC’s accredited, nonpartisan observers deployed to a representative sample of polling stations and used text messaging to rapidly transmit their observations and the official results announced by election officers to a central information center, where they are compiled. This independent verification of results can lend credibility to the polls.

PSC, which is supported by NDI, also shares its findings and recommendations on the process with the goal of helping improve future elections.

Since Nigeria’s return to civilian rule in 1999, the country had seen a progressive decline in the quality of its elections. However, that changed last year when the presidential and parliamentary elections were seen as some of the most credible that Nigeria has held, despite such challenges as ballot box stuffing, vote buying and voter intimidation. There was also significant violence in the aftermath of the presidential election that led to more than 800 reported deaths, according to the Human Rights Watch.

For the most recent gubernatorial elections -- in Kogi state in December and in Adamawa, Bayelsa, Sokoto and Cross River states in February – PSC successfully mobilized observers to perform PVTs in each location. As a result, PSC independently verified the accuracy of the official results announced by Independent National Election Commission (INEC) in all five states.

INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega said, “Through independent assessment by [Project] Swift Count, we have been able to gain access to some important things about all the elections we have so far conducted.”

Despite many logistical and procedural challenges, PSC observers noted that election officials correctly followed procedures in handling ballots. In more than 95 percent of polling units in all five states, ballots were properly stamped, sorted and counted, which largely prevented fraud at the polling station level. However, PSC noted a downward trend in the timely arrival of election officials and materials. With the exception of the Sokoto poll, 60 percent or less of polling units opened on time, a decline from 76 percent in the presidential elections held in April 2011.

PSC also observed a rise in the number of incidents of intimidation and harassment in two of the states. While such incidents were seen at only 6 percent of polling units during presidential voting, PSC observers saw them in 16 percent of stations in Adamawa and 14 percent in Sokoto. The other states had rates of harassment on par with the April poll.

PSC cited the low voter turnout in all of the gubernatorial elections, except Bayelsa state, which had a 71.4 percent turnout rate. That unusually high turnout could be attributable to numerous factors, including inaccuracies in the voter roll or multiple voting, PSC said. Bayelsa, which had a 91 percent turnout in the presidential election, is the home state of President Goodluck Jonathan, which could account for increased voter interest. While turnout for the other states in the presidential election was roughly 54 percent, turnout for gubernatorial elections dropped to near or below one-third of registered voters.

In its press statement after the Sokoto election, PSC said “more efforts should be made by INEC and civil society organizations to educate voters on the importance of participating in the electoral process.”

PSC is a Nigerian coalition launched to help ensure free, fair and peaceful elections and to enhance transparency and accountability in the electoral process. With technical assistance from NDI, PSC successfully conducted Nigeria’s first-ever PVTs during the April presidential poll, establishing a nationwide system to collect and analyze information from more than 30,000 observers at a representative sample of polling units in every local government area in the country. Given the estimated 170 million people living in Nigeria and the sheer size of the electorate, PSC’s ability to successfully use the PVT method is considered a major achievement for the Nigerian electoral process.

Read More:

Published March 30, 2012

Statement on the Cross River Gubernatorial Election Held Saturday February 25, 2012

fgalleto — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 18:53:17 +0000

Author:

Project Swift Count

Publisher:

Project Swift Count

Published Date:

02/25/2012

Resource Type:

Statement

Language:

English

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Statement on the Sokoto Gubernatorial Election Held Saturday February 18, 2012

fgalleto — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:44:48 +0000

Author:

Project Swift Count

Publisher:

Project Swift Count

Published Date:

02/18/2012

Resource Type:

Statement

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
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Statement on the Bayelsa Gubernatorial Election Held Saturday February 11, 2012

fgalleto — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:35:14 +0000

Author:

Project Swift Count

Publisher:

Project Swift Count

Published Date:

02/11/2012

Resource Type:

Statement

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
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Statement on the Adamawa Gubernatorial Election Held Saturday February 4, 2012

fgalleto — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:39:28 +0000

Author:

Project Swift Count

Publisher:

Project Swift Count

Published Date:

02/04/2012

Resource Type:

Statement

Language:

English

Attachment	Size
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Statement on the Kogi Gubernatorial Election

fgalleto — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:14:55 +0000

Author:

Project Swift Count

Publisher:

Project Swift Count

Published Date:

12/05/2011

Resource Type:

Statement

Language:

English

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Nigeria: Governors' Forum Tasks Members on Performance | Nov. 14, 2011

fgalleto — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:06:13 +0000

AllAfrica | Link to story »

The Nigeria Governors' Forum (NGF) has inaugurated a Steering Committee to appraise the performance of its members across the country.

The seminar was organised by the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Link to story »

Nigeria Launches First African-Built Satellite | Oct. 3, 2011

fgalleto — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:37:30 +0000

Voice of America | Link to story »

Christopher Fomunyoh is West and Central Africa director for the Washington-based National Democratic Institute. He says a trustworthy voter list is one way to protect elections.

Christopher Fomunyoh: "There's a sense that once you get the voter rolls in order, once the voter rolls reflect the electorate or the population that is of voting age in the appropriate constituencies, then the management of the rest of the election process is already fraud-proof in a way.”

But Mr. Fomunyoh says a biometric system is only one of many tools needed to win the trust of voters. Election disputes have led to deadly violence in several African countries in the past year, including Ivory Coast, Guinea and Nigeria.

Link to story »

NDI Observers Highlight Progress and Remaining Challenges in How Nigeria Conducts Elections

rrunyan — Fri, 27 May 2011 18:58:37 +0000

Source:

Chris Fomunyoh, Carlo Binda and Richard Klein at SAIS

Article Link:

Published Date:

05/10/2011

Nigeria’s April presidential and parliamentary elections have largely been viewed as a step forward from the seriously flawed polls of the past.

At a recent event, organized by NDI along with the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and the Center for Strategic and International Studies, several members of NDI’s observation delegation detailed the factors that contributed to a sound election.

Chris Fomunyoh, NDI’s senior associate for Africa, cited four INEC actions that contributed to a sound election, while NDI Nigeria Director Carlo Binda talked about how the election commission curbed some of the violence that plagued past elections. Richard Klein, NDI’s senior advisor for elections, dug into the data that told a similarly successful story.

Election Commission Head, Observers Highlight Progress and Remaining Challenges in How Nigeria Conducts Elections

rrunyan — Fri, 20 May 2011 15:34:34 +0000

Nigeria’s April presidential and parliamentary elections have largely been viewed as a step forward from the seriously flawed polls of the past, with much credit going to the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The INEC chairman, Dr. Attahiru Jega, discussed the accomplishments and challenges faced by the commission at a May 10 Washington, D.C., event organized by NDI along with the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

Jega addressed the commission’s difficult duties leading up to the elections, which included the massive undertaking of compiling a new registry of 74 million voters, as well as the distribution of election materials to 120,000 polling stations and putting in place measures to curb election day abuses such as double voting and ballot box stuffing.

While recognizing ongoing challenges from stamping out impunity to improving the transmission of election results, Jega commended the effort from the commission, his countrymen and the international community to work toward a credible election process.

Watch Jega’s Presentation at SAIS

“Conducting elections that are free, fair, peaceful and credible in a country such as Nigeria, given its size, large population, terrain and ethno-religious diversity, is a very difficult assignment even under normal circumstances,” Jega said. “Under the far from normal circumstances in which the new INEC had to conduct the 2011 voters’ registration and elections, it seemed and felt like an impossible task. We are gratified by the general acknowledgment and appreciation of the progress made so far.”

Jega’s remarks were preceded by comments from Peter Lewis, SAIS director of African studies, on Nigeria’s electoral process. “This was likely the freest election in Nigerian history,” Lewis said.

In comments after Jega’s speech, Chris Fomunyoh, NDI’s senior associate for Africa, cited four INEC actions that contributed to a sound election:

INEC’s open door policy and its embrace of Nigerian civil society organizations that monitored the election;
INEC’s desire to protect the rights of citizens and make their votes count;
The decision to designate more than 200,000 young university graduates, members of Nigeria’s National Youth Service Corps, to serve as poll workers; and
The decision to cancel voting on April 2 after INEC discovered that materials had not been delivered to all polling sites.

Fomunyoh credited more than just INEC for a successful election. He praised President Goodluck Jonathan for the statements he made before the election indicating the importance of a good election and his willingness to accept the results regardless of his fortune. Other factors included, he said, “intense engagement by political parties and civil society organizations to safeguard the credibility of the polls, and a heightened commitment and dedication by millions of Nigerian citizens who turned out to vote peacefully on election day.”

During a second panel at the event, nonpartisan analysts, all of whom observed the presidential and parliamentary elections, shared views on the electoral process and its potential impact on Nigeria. The group included several members of NDI’s international observation mission, including Carlo Binda, NDI’s senior resident director in Nigeria; Richard Klein, NDI’s senior advisor for election processes; Jennifer Cooke, director of the Africa program at CSIS; Gwendolyn Mikell, professor of anthropology and foreign service at Georgetown University; and Pauline Baker, president emeritus of the Fund for Peace, who served as moderator. The panel also included Eric Guttschuss, Nigeria researcher at Human Rights Watch.

Carlo Binda (center), NDI's Nigeria director, speaks during the second panel discussion at SAIS.

Binda drilled into election issues in depth, such as the state-level primaries. These polls generated much of the political violence in past elections, but caused less disturbance this time, partly due to INEC’s new role regulating primary contests and greater scrutiny by the media.

“While many early on worried that high expectations would be disappointed and result in widespread action,” Binda said of the election process, “it appears that high expectations encouraged genuine progress and provided committed champions of credible elections with the support to effect positive change.”

The presenters noted that violence did occur in the northern part of Nigeria following the presidential election, saying it tarnished what was otherwise a much improved process.

Klein detailed the efforts of NDI’s partner organization, Project 2011 Swift Count, a citizen monitoring effort that deployed observers throughout the country to observe in a statistical random sample of polling sites. This observation method serves as a citizens’ tool to assess the integrity of voting and counting processes, as it yields statistically accurate results with which to verify the official results.

Klein highlighted a number of problems reported by these observers, but said, “the problems were not systematic and did not fundamentally undermine the credibility of the process.” The Swift Count findings supported the presidential results announced by INEC.

Related:

Pictured above: Civil society observers and party poll watchers during April elections

Published May 26, 2011

Final Statement on the April 2011 General Elections: National Assembly, Presidential and Gubernatorial Elections

rrunyan — Wed, 18 May 2011 14:36:56 +0000

Author:

Project 2011 Swift Count

Publisher:

Project 2011 Swift Count

Published Date:

05/18/2011

Resource Type:

Statement

Language:

English

Media Type:

PDF

English

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Read the press release	304.54 KB