The National Assembly and Presidential Elections in Nigeria, 12 and 19 April 2003

The report of the Commonwealth Observer Group for Nigeria’s national assembly and presidential elections held on 12 and 19 April 2003. The group was chaired by HE Dr Salim Ahmed Salim, former prime minister of the United Republic of Tanzania and former Secretary-General of the Organisation of African Unity, and was comprised of 14 eminent persons in total.The group found that in most of Nigeria, despite significant challenges, a genuine and largely successful effort was made to enable the people to vote freely. However, there were parts of Nigeria in which many Nigerians were denied the right to participate in an authentic democratic process.