RECENTLY, a media report on the perception of the performance of Nigeria’s electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), by Nigerians following the recent general election in Ghana presented a damning verdict. According to the cross section of Nigerians whose views were captured in the report, it was quite hypocritical for the chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, who was part of the election observers who monitored the Ghanaian general election, which was widely celebrated for its transparency, fairness and credibility, to have attributed Ghana’s success at the polls to what it learnt from Nigeria, a country whose elections are almost always mired in controversy. They pointed out that during the election under reference, there were no reports of electoral commission staff manipulating results, security personnel snatching ballot boxes, or glitches in the transmission of election results. Claiming that INEC as presently constituted is incapable of conducting a seamless and credible election in Nigeria in 2027, the analysts said that that the commission failed to improve on its performance in the off-cycle elections that took place in Edo and Ondo and could, therefore, not be trusted to conduct a free and fair poll, arguing that urgent critical reforms must be put in place before 2027.
Among others, Prof Benjamin Okaba, president of the Ijaw National Congress (INC), was quoted as saying the following: “Judging by its recent performance, the Ghanaian Electoral Commission offers a near perfect example and model of a truly dependable, independent and efficient electoral body that Nigeria must emulate if this nation sincerely desires to take the issues of good governance and development seriously. For INEC to conduct a credible and seamless election in 2027, Nigeria must undertake some urgent and critical reforms that will significantly enhance the credibility, fairness, integrity and general acceptability of its electoral system. These include securing INEC’s true independence to shield it from undue political manipulation, overhauling electoral laws to plug loopholes and ensure transparency, ensuring the enforceability of these laws, especially as they relate to the mandatory use of BVAS; immediate transmission of results to the INEC portal after any vote is cast; fostering internal democracy within political parties to prevent the imposition of candidates; and intensifying voter education and awareness initiatives and harnessing technology to modernise voter registration, accreditation, and result transmission. ” These are, we believe, quite commonsensical recommendations.
There may be debate about an issue, namely whether or not the opinions sampled in the report in question are fairly representative of Nigerians as a community, but there is no question about the fact that INEC needs to up its game. Over the years, Nigeria’s general and even seasonal elections have been characterised by a number of drawbacks that continue to call its democratic experience into question. From fraudulent primaries by political parties to campaigns characterised by mudslinging, character assassination and violence to actual elections marred by underage voting, snatching of ballot boxes, vote buying and the issuing of electoral results in places where elections did not take place, Nigeria’s electoral process certainly leaves much to be desired. That being the case, we think that instead of typically issuing statements defending its performance, INEC needs to take cognisance of the criticisms by Nigerians and make conscious efforts to do better. By the nature of elections as expression of political sentiment, there will always be some measure of controversy, but truly free, fair and credible elections have a way of dousing tension and taking the bite out of criticisms.
Read Also: Oyebanji rallies support for Tinubu’s govt
As an electoral umpire whose integrity has been called into question, INEC should seek to disappoint doubters and win over sceptics, and the only way it can do that is to make transparency its watchword. To be sure, it is not down to the commission alone to actualise free and fair elections: the government of the day, politicians, security agencies and even voters have crucial roles to play in the process. However, there is a way that strict insistence on the rules and a resolve to improve on the conduct of elections can set the pace for discernible changes in the conduct and perception of elections in the country. While critics may not always be right in the things they say, there can be no harm in seeking to address the obvious flaws that they point out in the performance of the commission. At the moment, we have found no reason to dismiss the grave objections raised by critics of Nigeria’s electoral process in general and INEC’s performance in particular. This year, the commission must strive to do much better than it ever has. That is, apparently, one way of making Nigeria’s leadership recruitment process more credible and fit for purpose.
and then