Nigeria adopted a new constitution in 1999. The economy is dependent on petroleum revenue, which until recently was squandered. Now the administration under President Obasanjo must reign in control of the economy while regulating religious tensions and enforce political stability. Nigeria's 2003 national and state elections, while flawed on many levels, witnessed many improvements in the electoral process and were largely considered a step forward for a country wracked by authoritarian rule and political instability since independence. To ensure that this period of relative stability is not an anomaly, IFES and its partners are supporting Nigerian institutions in deepening the roots of democracy in this important West African country.

In preparation for Nigeria’s 2007 elections, IFES provided technical assistance and strategic capacity building to the Inde­pendent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and a range of CSOs and coalitions working on electoral issues. IFES also strengthened political party participation in the election by giving particular attention to party finances and the transpar­ency and accountability of political parties. Following the problematic elections, IFES monitored the election complaints tribunal process, initiated a conference to determine a plan for moving forward democratically, and assessed the impact of voter education through a national survey.