Nigeria has rescheduled its presidential election to April 9, a week after legislative polls, electoral officials announced Tuesday after lawmakers approved constitutional changes allowing for a delay.
Nigeria had been due to hold a presidential election in January but the country’s election agency, under intense pressure to organise a credible vote in a country with a long history of fraud, asked for more time to prepare.
“The dates … for the presidential elections … will be on the 9th of April, 2011, for the governorship and state assembly elections, this is scheduled for the 16th of April 2011,” said Attahiru Jega, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Jega told a news conference the presidential vote will be preceded by the national assembly elections a week earlier on April 2.
The vast west African country has been notorious for electoral violence and fraud.
The last national polls in 2007 that brought former president Umaru Yar’Adua to power with his running mate Goodluck Jonathan were judged deeply flawed by local and international observers.
Run-offs, if needed, for the presidential and governorship polls will take place within seven days after the release of the results.
Voter registration will be conducted over two weeks starting January 15 through 29.
Jega and his staff face a monumental task of putting together an entirely new voter list in the country of 150 million people, Africa’s most populous nation.
Jonathan has pledged a free and fair vote. A Christian from southern Nigeria who took over in May after Umaru Yar’Adua’s death, Jonathan says he will run in the election.
But he will have to face another former vice-president in his ruling Peoples Democratic Party’s primaries after Atiku Abubakar emerged as a consensus candidate of the mainly Muslim northern politicians.
Jonathan’s interest in the race has become an issue of contention as an unwritten party policy has long dictated that it rotate its candidates between the Muslim north and predominantly Christian south every second term.
The policy serves as a way of smoothing over ethnic, religious and social divides in the vast West African country.
Since Yar’Adua, a Muslim, died before his first term was up, some argue that it’s now time to choose another northern candidate.
The electoral commission has ruled that party primaries be concluded by January 25 next year.
Nigerian elections had traditionally been held in April, but earlier this year, the country’s parliament chose to have them moved forward.
The stated reason for having initially moved the vote to January was to allow more time for electoral disputes to be resolved in court before the swearing-in date of May 29.
-AFP
2011 General Election Time Table
| ACTIVITY | DATE |
| Party primaries | Nov 26-Jan 15 |
| Public campaign period begins | Dec 1 |
| Registration of voters | Jan 15-29 |
| Display of voter register for objections | Feb 3-8 |
| Deadline for submission to INEC of candidates | Jan 31 |
| Publication of official voter register | Mar 2 |
| Publication of lists of nominated candidates | Mar 2-Mar 16 |
| LAST DAY OF CAMPAIGNING FOR: | |
| Parliamentary elections | Apr 1 |
| Presidential elections | Apr 8 |
| Governorship/state assembly elections | Apr 15 |
| ELECTION | |
| Parliamentary elections | Apr 2 - 17 | Now Apr 9 |
| Presidential elections | Apr 9 - 10 | Now Apr 16 |
| Governorship/state assembly elections | Apr 16 - 17 | Now Apr 26 |
* Run-offs for presidential and governorship elections, should they be needed, will be held within 7 days of the
announcement of the respective election results.
* This timetable supersedes the earlier schedules of activities issued by INEC
* Updated April 4, 2011: Click link to access detail of reschedule INEC election time table
The timetable for the forthcoming 2011 general elections is good and well arranged, may the almighty God help Prof. Jega and others to put best in place for Nigerians. One man, one vote is a good idea for nigeria at age of 50. Thanks.
Amen!!!
My advice to Pro. Jega is that he should for the sake of the future of this present & coming generation which is children & grandchildren will be part of ignore and rubbish the plans of the few power and money drunkened men and conduct the best and most commendable free and fair general election for dying Nigerians this revolutional 2011.Prof. the GOOD or BAD one does today isn’t forgotten but remains in the heart of men and in record.
i went through the election table,its well arranged.its now left for INEC and Nigerians to be well organised.let peace rain so Nigeria can florish.
I went through the election time table,it was discovered that time table are well arranged,it now left for so called politicians and Nigerians to play the game according to rule.May GOD ALMIGHTY help us.amen
what are u looking fwd to as regarding the civil servant working in another state or not working in their respectivfe states where they have registered?.will, the federal govt anounced a public holiday so that they can go to where they have registered to vote and their votes will not be wasted. pls. reply me asap.
wish INEC a successful election.
Kudus to prof. Jega because the task he accomplished is not easy so let all Nigerian recommend him for that effort.
Well let us join hand together despite the religious tribe social economical physical life We should bear in mind that our vote is our power! Thanks u all Nigeria
i pray that God will direct all nigerians to obey the guidelines INEC will give for the elections. pls vote wisely.
I went through the election time table. Its well arranged. But is left for we Nigerians 2 Obey all the rules and regulation of the election. May ALLAH help us give us good leaders. Ameen.
well lets pray and hope that PDP and its members will allowed Prof. JEGA and his staff to do their GOD given responsibility to deliver the destiny of young Nigeians. MAY GOD HELP US, AMEN!
INEC is doing wonderfully well. BUT i hope nigerians would observe one man one vote and one woman one vote. May the good lord deliver us (Amen).
Pdp pls allow jega to do his job.
I wish all the contestant the best of luck, but i beg all Nigerians to support president Goodluck Jonathan becos he is the man of the people. My appreciation also goes to prof. Jega for timetable well arrange thank you sir.
I strongly believ in prof.Jega’s ability 2 deliver.I want him 2 knw dat 9jerians ar lukin upon him so, he should nt fail us.Goodluck 2 al contestant, most especially 2 Goodluck himself.Thank you.
D time table is good. Let us all just work 2geda wit INEC by being law abiding citizens. May God help Jega, may God help Nigerians, may God help Nigeria. Nigeria - good pple, great nation.
Please, Nigerian let help our country to carry out free and fair election in April, 2011. I stand for ONE MAN ONE VOTE.
Kudos! to Prof. Jega.Fellow Nigerians! Keep on praying for the peaceful conduct of April polls.God bless Nigeria.
I appreciate the effort of Professor Attahiru Jega for his readiness to conduct free and fear election, kudos to you once again. I want to implore Nigerians to cast their vote for GOODLUCK\SAMBO for the continuation of good work & for betterment of Nigeria.Moreover, lets abide by our Pesident Goodluck Ebele Jonathan slogan “One man, one vote, One woman, one vote. Wishes Nigerian peaceful election & best of luck. God bless Nigeria
Prof Jega, Sir, Why is that you want to accept or you have accepted conducting Governorship election before that of the President as it was agreed before now?
The national election time-table is really nice.Our earnest desire is that there will be free and fair election.God bless Nigeria.
i appreciate the hard work and effort to deliver credilable polls of the INEC chairman but pls why not reschedule the governorship elections before the presidentials polls because in this country the governors are pollitical prostitutes they will tend to follow any victorious president, pls pls and pls listen to me and use this as an advice
How I wish this forthcoming election is ‘more freest and fairest’ than that of 1993 election under Prof. Nwosu.but i still very much believe that Pro. Jega could do better. Pls sir, do not allow this election to scatter nigeria, let Justice prevail. May the Lord help you through.
the time has come pls can we consider the person involve than a political party?
Now it is here, i pray we should have a very fair and credible election this time. Jaga please do it well
INDIRECTLY, INEC IS SINCERE.IF YOU ARE SINCERE, WHY NOT PROVIDE SECURITY OR EMERGENCY NUMBERS FOR URGENT INFORMATION.
Jega is a blessing to nigerians and the time table is superb
The problem of nigeria is bad leaders. From the examination of the past elections in nigeria, it has been recorded that one election is retrogressively better than the other, i.e to say thet 1999 election was better than that of 2003, while that of 2003 was better than that of 2007 and it was recorded that 2007 election was the worst election in nigeria since the history of nigeria. I pray that 2007 election will not be better than the forthcoming 2011 election.
I pray that prof jega should a better person bcos People democratic party and Action congress of nigeria are at war now especially Action congress TEAM LAGOS and FACE LAGOS they have scattered Victoria Island pls save us
I thank God nigerians have learnt their lessons in the previous elections. Now,vote wisely & defend ur vote. Enjoy
Stupid! How can the ballot papers not available in some areas,this is because of the political fraud JEGA wanted to occur.
the election time table i well and good. I am wishing all Nigerians a free and fair election. Your vote is your power come out and vote.
i love this and i love this thank to everybody and my ladies and gentleman good bless amen my name is Ibrahim i live in tango god bless me too amen good day my good teacher i love this site
i love site god bless this site
your sincerely
awwal
thank you everybody good day my people
i love this site good day
thank everybody people
Jega has produced a fair election, violent free and fair in almost all areas. The winner must be ready to move Nigeria forward.