Rushing Through Reforms

September 2007 | Ratings Update

President Yar'Adua's setting up of an election reform panel in late August, as per his inauguration promise was met with mixed responses. The main criticism has been that it is a premature move, given that the legal challenges to April's controversial elections have not yet reached their conclusion. As such, while changes to the electoral system are very much needed, it is pivotal that the process - when implemented - is deemed credible by all parties. Indeed, in our view a rash reform process is unlikely to address the fundamental issue of mistrust, and risks postponing genuine democratisation further.

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