The presidential elections held this past April in Nigeria were seen as sufficiently “free and fair” by many observers, but at the local level for the gubernatorial elections, reports of fraud, violence, ballot stuffing, and intimidation were rife.  In several key states, candidates for the opposition party Congress for Progressive Change were subjected to bureaucratic harassment and attacks from the media, while in some cases the ruling People’s Democratic Party enjoyed the support of the military to deliver the vote.  Now the victims of the vote fraud are beginning to speak out.

Over the course of my law firm’s 30-year history in Nigeria, we’ve had the opportunity to meet some of the country’s most impressive entrepreneurs, young leaders, and impressive public servants, but this latest story stands out as a sad example of how the political system sometimes works.  The experience of Yusuf Tuggar, a popular former member of the Nigerian House of Representatives (2007-2011) who ran for governor in Bauchi State as the CPC candidate, featured nearly every trick in the book, from fraud to violence to curfews to basic cheating.  The overwhelming popularity of his campaign in Bauchi – an important northern state with a population the size of Norway – led his opponents to undertake desperate measures to manufacture a stolen victory.

This week we caught up with Mallam Tuggar by telephone to learn about his background and find out what happened this past Spring in Bauchi State.