NIGERIA: Local elections set for 27 March 2004

Long-delayed local council elections in Nigeria have been scheduled for 27 March 2004 throughout the country’s 36 states, officials said. James Omo-Agege, a retired high court judge, who is chairman of the Forum of States Independent Electoral Commissions of Nigeria, told reporters on Tuesday they were yielding to "mounting pressure from various stakeholders" including political parties and civil society groups.