Washington, DC - The United States again congratulates the people of Nigeria and the Nigerian Government on historic, well-conducted, and largely peaceful elections the weekend of March 28. The United States further commends Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its Chairman Attahiru Jega on the successful vote. We also recognize the professionalism with which the security services enacted their duties during the election.

Nigerian voters will return to the polls tomorrow to elect their governors and state representatives. Nigerians demonstrated their deep commitment to democracy through patience at the polls on March 28 and 29 and calm while the results were announced. The United States encourages Nigerian voters to bring that same level of commitment to peaceful, credible elections to the polls tomorrow and throughout the post-election period. The United States also calls on political leaders to underscore the message to their supporters that they should remain peaceful and pursue any grievances through the judicial process. Finally, the United States urges state and local electoral officials, as well as security providers, to discharge their responsibilities with neutrality, remaining vigilant to guard against fraud and intimidation.