Nigeria’s 2015 general ‎elections were the most contentious and most successful in the nation’s history. New voting technology, careful planning and a popular desire for change were pitted against money politics, incumbent chicanery, and an ongoing insurgency in the north of the country. Poised between new beginnings and political chaos, the elections were a litmus test for Nigeria’s democracy.

In this lecture, the man at the helm of the electoral process tells the inside story of Nigeria’s first successful transfer of power, and draws lessons for democratic transitions in other African countries.

Professor Attahiru Jega is the erstwhile Chair of Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), having been replaced by Amina Bala Zakari in July. He received his PhD from Northwestern University, Illinois, and has held fellowships at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, the University of Stockholm, and Bayero University, where he has resumed a position as lecturer.

Professor Jega was also nominated winner of the 2015 Charles T. Manatt Democracy award by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) in July. He will collect the award in September.

Suggested hashtag for this event for Twitter users: #LSEJega

This event is free and open to all with no ticket or pre-registration required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis. For any queries, email k.mcdonald@lse.ac.uk or call 0203 486 2626.