For 2019 polls to be credible

It is perhaps, the best thing that President Muhammadu Buhari, at various public fora reiterates the impregnable resolve of his government to help the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), under the dynamic leadership of Professor Mahmoud Yakub, conduct a credible, fair and transparent 2019 general election.

Simply put, ‘Baba Buhari’ is saying he will not, as Mr. President and as the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential flag bearer, compel the electoral body to either by hook or crook, return him as the victor of the February 16 poll, which by all indices, promises to an epic contest.

Already, political gladiators and their foot soldiers are not leaving anything to chance. They have since been throwing diatribes on the personality and character of one another. These are what we see often on the pages of our dailies. Various electronic media platforms have also not been spared the inexcusable shenanigans of our politicians.

• Facebook to integrate WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger

In every election circle, the putrid skeletons in the cupboard of party A’s candidate are excavated by his rival-opponent in cahoot with members of party B, all in a bid to outsmart party A’s candidate, cleverly hoodwink some uninformed electorates, and then to eventually coast home to victory.

But trust the archetypal breed of politicians we have, they will not only engage in needless campaign of calumnies, media propaganda and political assassinations, among other scandalous acts but they will further take their rascality a notch higher on the D-Day of election.

Though, INEC posted remarkable improvements in the organisation and conducts of both the 2011 and 2015 polls, there are vexing issues that still need to be tackled and addressed if the forthcoming rounds of election will not end up as charade.

While INEC has already evolved measures to guard against vote merchandising in 2019 polls, it must give no room for laxity on election days. Thus, they should seek the cooperation of security personnel deployed to polling centres, so that desperate party officials will not have a field day wooing prospective voters with money in exchange for votes.

There is a compelling need for INEC to religiously abide by its electoral laws and acts which guide its statutory operations, just as it is imperative for them to remain neutral, unbiased and uncompromising. Again, one clarion call INEC must make to all the political parties, their candidates and die-hard supporters, is for them to eschew hooliganism and acts capable of impugning the credibility of the polls.

Similarly, it behooves on INEC to, this time round, make good its threat of prosecuting electoral offenders who flout its clearly-outlined election rules.

Abdulsalam Mahmud

Abuja