Published: April 29, 2011
Nigeria Conducts Successful Elections
Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson of Bureau of African Affairs today said that Nigeria has just completed its most successful elections since its return to multiparty democracy in 1999.
Mr. Carson stressed that despite some technical imperfections, Nigeria's recent elections represent a substantial improvement over the flawed 2007 electoral process.
"The Nigerian people have shown to the world their resilience and will to have their voices heard. These elections were a real opportunity to choose their leaders."-Mr. Carson
This week, Nigerian voters returned to the polls for the fourth time and final time to select their state assembly members and governors. On April 26th, all but two states held elections.
Elections in Kaduna and Bauchi states occurred April 28th to give additional time for security to return to those two areas. International and domestic observers reported the April 26th elections to be generally well organized, albeit with a lower turnout in various locations compared with voter turnout earlier this month.
"Following the deplorable post-election violence of the previous week, we are heartened that many Nigerian voters went to the polls to vote in an environmentally - environment largely free of violence."-Mr. Carson
Mr. Carson said that he is concerned about allegations of fraud and ballot box snatching in various jurisdictions. He strongly urged Nigerian authorities to investigate and take corrective actions on all of these allegations.
Mr. Carson commended the Independent National Electoral Commission and the security services for addressing challenges and improving their efforts with each progressive election.
Source: U.S. Department of State
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