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Robert Lloyd Observes Elections in Nigeria
In April 2007, Robert Lloyd, associate professor of international relations and
chair of the Seaver College International Studies and Languages Division, participated in an election observation mission in Nigeria with the International Republic Institute. Here Lloyd describes the trip in his own words.
How long were you in Nigeria, and what did you do during the mission? Who else participated?
I was in Nigeria for a week. The first four days we had an extensive orientation in the federal capital of Abuja. Representatives from Nigerian political parties, civil society groups, the government, the electoral commission, as well as foreign governments, provided very detailed briefings on the political situation in the country and the upcoming electoral process. I was then deployed with a three-person team to Katsina State in northern Nigeria to actually observe the election in that critical state. Two of the three main presidential candidates were from Katsina.
I was part of a delegation of fifty-nine people with the International Republican Institute (IRI), a Washington, D.C.-based organization that was created by the U.S. Congress to advance democracy worldwide. Approximately half our delegation was African, largely very senior government leaders. The American delegation was composed of senior political and diplomatic leaders along with a few academics such as myself. One of the three delegation chairs was Ambassador Pierre-Richard Prosper, former Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes, and a Pepperdine University graduate.
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Robert Lloyd with delegation and Nigerians during
election day (left to right: Robert Lloyd, Scot Palmer,
Patrick Egan).
Please describe some of what you witnessed and experienced.
In Katsina we observed elections for the legislative and presidential races. We went to visit locations where the ballots were being distributed, polling was occurring, and precinct results were tabulated. We observed fairly low voter turnout, and almost all of the voters were men. Relatively few women voted in this strongly Muslim area. With respect to the elections themselves, we observed polls opening late and closing early, instances of voter intimidation, a lack of certain election materials, some violence, and evidence of vote rigging.
IRI's preliminary statement, which incorporates the observations of all the teams dispersed throughout the country, states that the April 21 election fell below acceptable standards and that the system had failed the Nigerian people. Other domestic and international election observation organizations drew similar conclusions. Opposition parties also denounced the integrity of the elections, vowing to have new elections. Nonetheless, it appears almost certain the president elect will take office in a few weeks.
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Robert Lloyd observing a polling
station in Katsina, Nigeria, 21
Can you tell us briefly about the election and its importance to the country?
Nigeria, with a population of about 140 million, is the largest country in Africa by population. It is one of the world's major oil producers and plays a very influential leadership role on the African continent. Nigeria has been in the process of transitioning from a long period of military to democratic rule. This process began in 1999 with the election of former general Olusegun Obasanjo. The 2003 election, which I also observed, marked the first successful back-to-back elections in Nigeria's history. Both the 1999 and 2003 elections were not without flaws, but they did indicate an unmistakable and general trend toward democratization and freedom in the country. The 2007 elections were likewise important in that they marked the first democratic transfer of power from one elected government to another. This process was not without conflict. President Obasanjo had tried to amend the constitution to run for a third term, but was blocked by the legislature. He then sidelined politically the vice president—his likely successor—through charges of corruption and instead chose the governor of Katsina State, Umaru Yar'Adua, as the party candidate for president.
All these actions sent political shock waves in Nigeria, and for a time it looked as if they would derail the scheduled elections. In fact, we actually delayed deploying for one day due to uncertainty about whether the elections would take place due to an opposition party boycott of the elections. This boycott collapsed, the Supreme Court ruled that the vice president could run, but all this created a tremendous amount of confusion and anger in the weeks and even days before the election. The election results indicated that Umaru Yar'Adua won the presidential election with approximately seventy percent of the vote.
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Robert Lloyd observing a polling
station in Katsina, Nigeria.
What motivated you to take this trip, and what did you hope to learn or achieve?
My motivation for the trip relates to the ability to use my training and experiences in a very practical way that can have some positive impact on the lives of Africans. What I hoped to achieve was in some small way assisting Nigerians—by providing an additional set of eyes—in documenting better how the elections went. I also hoped to better my own understanding of democratization in Africa.
What is the most interesting thing that you did learn?
The most interesting event to me was when the chairman of the electoral commission—the individual who was responsible for the controversial elections—addressed our delegation. After he addressed us the very senior African political leaders who were part of our delegation asked him very pointed questions about the electoral process. Many had been intimately involved in the democratization process in their countries, and there was real authority and experience in their polite but pointed questions. During that interchange I was renewed in the realization that Westerners such as myself have an important role to play, but increasingly Africans are taking the lead in democratic reforms and holding one another accountable. That is a remarkable and very positive experience for me.
How did the trip challenge you to think in new ways?
I think the example above reinforced in me the realization of the need to address many of the challenges facing the African continent in partnership. All have much to contribute, but each brings important and different things to the table.
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Robert Lloyd observing a
polling station in Katsina,
Nigeria.
What is your most vivid memory of the trip?
I believe the most vivid is the fact that we had a security detail assigned to the observation team. I had observed three elections—all in highly conflicted areas—but had never had security. This changed the dynamics of observation somewhat, but mostly caused me think more deeply about the issue of security both for me and ordinary Nigerians. I do, however, understand and appreciate the concerns of IRI for our physical safety in a volatile election environment.
How did you first become involved with the IRI? Have you participated in similar missions before?
I first became involved in IRI around 2002 when I saw a newspaper article written by a classmate of mine from my doctoral program at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. I had graduated and left Washington, D.C. My classmate's career path had led him to be president of IRI during that time. I emailed him to say hi and get caught up on developments. As our discussions developed he introduced me to staffers in the Africa Division of IRI, and I was subsequently asked to observe the 2003 election in Nigeria. They then asked me to observe the 2005 election in Liberia. My first election observation experience was with the U.S. State Department in 1994 in Mozambique.
Had you visited Nigeria before? What impressions of the country did this trip make on you?
I had visited Nigeria before. I had not, however, visited the Muslim northern part of the country. Previous visits had been in the Christian areas of the southeast and southwest as well as the mixed Christian/Muslim federal capital territory. I very much enjoyed the opportunity to travel overland to the north both to interact with Nigerians from that part of the country and to see the areas where the ancient Muslim trading states once flourished. The impact is clearly evident in the clothing, religion, and architecture of the region.
Did you travel elsewhere in Africa during the trip?
On this particular trip, no. As usual, however, we transited through Europe on our way. While for many travelers Europe is the destination, for me it is usually the halfway breakpoint for the longer journey to Africa!
Has your participation in this mission contributed to any scholarly work, such as an article, book, or course?
The 2003 participation resulted in a scholarly article in a journal. I plan to submit another article on democratization to a journal based on my experiences and understanding of the 2007 elections. Nigeria is a very important country in Africa, and its experiences and lessons have an impact on much of the continent. I also write articles on democratization in Africa for Freedom House, a U.S.-based policy think tank that deals with issues of human rights and democratization. I draw on my experiences in Nigeria in assessing the democratic performance of other African states.
