Jega Announces Voter Registration Figures

It’s been a busy day in Nigeria. For one, INEC announced that it had registered over sixty-three million voters. I think we have to wait for an independent assessment to verify those numbers, but if they are accurate, this is a major achievement.

However, this announcement came with a warning from INEC chairman Jega that significant challenges exist to the execution of a free, fair and credible elections. Further, he cited escalating political violence, about which INEC can do nothing. Still, Jega’s prestige remains high and his periodic statements that he will not certify failed elections are credible.