Commonwealth's final report says 2011 elections ‘credible and creditable'

The Commonwealth Secretariat has declared Nigeria’s 2011 general elections “credible and creditable” in its final report on the series of nationwide polls held last month.

In the group’s report delivered in London, the Commonwealth said, “In the event, notwithstanding the postponement of the April 2 National Assembly elections and persistent logistical and organisational deficiencies, and some serious security incidents during the campaign and on the eve of the elections, the 2011 elections in Nigeria, by and large, met the national, regional and international standards for democratic elections.”

The observation team was made up of 16 observers, led by respected former president of Botswana, Festus Mogae. The group’s preliminary reports released days after the elections, had also proclaimed the polls as credible.

Despite the early reports from the Commonwealth, the European Union and the National Democratic Institute, praising the elections, deadly riots protesting the outcome in the northern states, killed over 800, according to the Human Rights Watch.

The Commonwealth, the first to release its final report, said: “Indeed, they (elections) marked a genuine celebration of democracy in Nigeria, helped to redeem the image of Nigeria as a country that was known only for flawed elections and served to restore the faith of the Nigerian people in democracy. In the process, Africa’s most populous nation was able to make a new beginning.”

A copy of the Commonwealth report was handed to the chairperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega, on Thursday when he visited Marlborough House, the secretariat headquarters of the Commonwealth in London.

Commonwealth deputy secretary-general, Mmasekgoa Masire-Mwamba, told the INEC boss that the Commonwealth was committed to continuing its work with INEC and to provide support where necessary.

She said the association and the Commonwealth membership look forward to benefitting from the sharing of experiences and distilling of good practices from INEC and Mr Jega himself through the newly established Commonwealth Network of Election Management Bodies.

Mr Jega welcomed the Commonwealth’s support for the commission and said he looked forward to continued engagement between them.