Publication

This report offers a brief overview of electoral violence in Nigeria, examines Nigeria's prospects for a nonviolent political transition in 2011, and concludes with recommendations for a safer, more secure polling season. With Nigeria's 2011 election cycle well within view, the country's political elites remain locked in a tense succession negotiation after the midterm death of President Umaru Yar'Adua. In this already-troubled election season, Nigeria's history of electoral violence raises significant additional concerns about the possibility of hostilities.