The 2019 election timetable

PENULTIMATE week, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released the timetable and schedule of activities for the 2019 general election consisting of the presidential, National Assembly, state assembly, governorship and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area council elections. According to the timetable, party primaries for the presidential, governorship, federal and state elections are to  run from August 18 to October 7, while primaries for the FCT area council elections will take place between September 4 and October 27. The timetable was issued at a press briefing by the INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, at the commission’s headquarters in Abuja.    Earlier, the commission had, in March, 2017, announced dates for the presidential and National Assembly elections, indicating that the presidential election would be held on February 16, 2019, while governorship and state assembly elections would be conducted on March 2, 2019.

According to Mahmood, in announcing dates and schedules of elections well ahead of time, the commission aimed to engender certainty in the country’s electoral calendar and to enable all stakeholders to prepare adequately for the elections. The INEC boss solicited the support and cooperation of all stakeholders in conducting a successful election, reminding political parties, candidates and other critical stakeholders that the commission expected “full adherence to the provisions of the Constitution and the Electoral Act.’’ He added that “the commission is determined to build on the legacy of the 2015 general election by ensuring that our elections keep getting better.”

It is indeed cheering news that INEC aims to be more proactive in its activities and to build on the successes of the 2015 general election. That election, though fraught with irregularities in some states, was widely adjudged by local and international observers as comforming substantially with the global best practices and the country’s Electoral Act. Buoyed by the demonstrable fairness and commitment of the Goodluck Jonathan administration to free and fair elections, INEC, for the first time in the nation’s history, conducted an election in which the people voted out a central government. And if it intends to surpass the 2015 record,  INEC needs to begin voter sensitisation and registration in earnest.

In 2015, the majority of eligible voters were rushing to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) shorlty before the election. Predictably, voter registration was rather chaotic and unpleasant, particularly for the physically-challenged and pregnant women. That should not be the case now. In the same vein, the commission needs to work on its card readers. In many cases, the card readers malfunctioned and caused considerable consternation among voters. INEC must therefore ensure that the observed lapses do not recur. Again, we urge INEC to be very fair and transparent in its activities. Whatever its strengths, the 2015 general election is past and it cannot be assumed that the commission has already won the confidence of Nigerians. As an aside, the commission should pay the corps members used in the governorship  election in Anambra State, many of whom refused to participate in the recently held senatorial by-election in the state. Its credibility is threatened when its ad hoc staff are paid half of their legitimately earned entitlements or not even paid at all.

For Nigerians in general, the release of the 2019 election timetable provides a fresh opportunity for people to register now and be involved in the build-up to a successful outing for the nation next year. Those who want the country to chart a different path through a change in government at federal or state levels should take advantage of the release of the timetable to do their civic duties. They should not sit idly by, bemoaning their lot and waiting for the last minute to obtain their PVCs. We also urge Nigerians to take more than a passing interest in the goings-on in the political parties. There is no better time than now to scrutinise the aspirants for various positions and engage them intellectually.

As for the parties, we urge them to be actively involved in voter sensitisation and conscientisation. They should jettison the idea that the relationship between them and voters is strictly an election day affair. They should also take a break from the practice  of  commercialising party politicking and beam their searchlights on aspirants so that, hopefully, only those with the most compelling visions of nationhood will emerge as candidates for the general election. Finally, we urge security agencies and all those connected with the forthcoming elections to think out of the box, learn from past errors and come up with strategies for better performance this time around.