Olufemi Aduwo is the national president of Rights Monitoring Group, which is an umbrella body for about 45 civil society organisations and doubles as the head of Centre for Convention on Democratic Integrity (CCDC). He speaks to DARE ADEKANMBI on Edo and Ondo governorship elections, election, among other things.
How would you describe the political party structure in this dispensation and leadership style of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) since the return of civil rule in 1999?
Starting from pre-colonial era till date, the political climate has changed in character from a noble struggle against imperialists to a regional battle for hegemony. Now, it has become a life and death struggle for the authoritative allocation of values to individual pockets. Today, politics is neither issue-based nor people-driven as it was the case in the First and Second Republics. Now, it is about the process by which individual egos and greed are massaged and actualised. ln a democracy, political parties are the agencies by which people are aggregated for competition for state power. Parties start off as coalition of likeminded people whose motivation for coming together often varies according to aspiration and interests. When you take a look at the APC and the PDP as the two dominant political parties, for example, and the manner members are jumping like monkey from one party to the other, it points to lack of vision among the parties and desperation among the political actors.
But parties generally have become mere vehicles to get and or retain political power.
Elections should be the means by which practical effect is given to the definition of democracy as a government of the people. The role of the electoral umpire and political environment are the factors determining how this is realised. On a sad note, all the elections conducted in the country since 1959 till 2019 recorded elements of manipulation to a varying degree. The 1979, 1993 and 1999 elections, which were conducted by the military government, had minimal manipulation compared to the wholesale destruction witnessed in parts of the country in 1983 and 2003. Don’t forget these two elections were conducted by the civilian governments. The crisis of 1983 general election led to the collapse of the Second Republic through the intervention of the military, which in itself was a curse. That was the episode Professor Maurice lwu as lNEC chairman fought against in 2007 and save the nation from unwarranted military intervention. You would recall that in 2007, two days after the governorship poll had been held across the country and less than five days to the presidential poll, the Supreme Court delivered a judgment in a case in which Atiku Abubakar challenged his being declared ineligible to run for the office of the president. Earlier, the Court of Appeal had ruled in the same case that it was within the competence of INEC to vet the credential of candidates in elections and determine their eligibility. Less than five days to the presidential poll, INEC within four days printed new ballot papers which contained names and logos of the candidates and the parties, including Atiku. It looked like magic. Many people believed it could not be done for lNEC to handle such huge operation within a short period.
In 2009, INEC set up an Election Monitoring Board Monitoring and Observation Board to conduct Anambra State governorship election in which Peter Obi emerged as a winner. Many people were not aware the election was conducted by Board on behalf of lNEC.
l observed the 2019 general election and in my organization’s report submitted to lNEC chairman, l specifically wrote that the declaration of Mr lhedioha as governor of lmo State was the high level display of impunity and such cannot stand. Ihedioha did not obtain the constitutionally required one-quarter of the votes cast in at least two-thirds of the 27 local government areas of the state, as provided under Section 179 of the Constitution. What lNEC could have done was to conduct run off in the areas where they have challenges. Why should lNEC cancel more than 300 polling units’ votes in the election where ten votes could affect the result?
I want to strongly advise against using lecturers and Professors as returning officers for future elections. Many of them are partisan, confused and create more problems for lNEC. I think Attahiru Jega, ex INEC chairman, brought them into appease them as colleagues in the academia. INEC chairman is the Chief Returning Officer for presidential election, likewise the REC is the Chief Returning Officer for the governorship poll. The electoral journey so far has come with its Jericho of fear and anxiety and the promise of Jerusalem of peace. And in between, there are hills and valleys, sharp bends and rock and we must be circumspect as we move towards 2023 elections to enable us recognise and avoid the failure of past.
What do you make of the build-up to the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states?
The elections are similarly interesting with the two leading parties, APC and PDP, presenting the same candidates that contested in 2016 in both states.
The people of Ondo State are politically sophisticated and they expect INEC to conduct a free and fair election where their votes will count and be counted. The people of Ondo have a history of how to protect their votes and tame manipulators. Adequate security is needed for many reasons. For example, the people of South Senatorial District are not happy that none of the candidates from APC or PDP is from the district. The votes of the district will determine the outcome of the election. It is a fact that the PDP, by senatorial strength, has more majority than APC. Don›t forget the PDP won two senatorial seats in the 2019 elections.
In 2016, the former governor Olusegun Mimiko could not win a senatorial election because of past error, regardless his achievements in education and health. In nutshell, Whether Governor Rotimi Akeredolu should be re-elected for one more term or Eyitayo Jegede be elected is not the issue. The candidates’ programmes in education and health are vital to the people.
As an election observer, do you see the COVID-19 protocol hampering voter turnout in the elections?
For both Edo and Ondo governorship polls the COVID 19 protocols in regard to physical distancing, mask wearing and others will not be obeyed. Already in the ongoing campaign in Edo State, social distancing is completely ignored.
I am not a prophet of doom. But I don’t know how lNEC will perform the miracle of free and fair elections in Edo and Ondo states, when such miracle could not happened in isolated election in Kogi State governorship poll. It is ritual talk for the current lNEC to threaten and make promises that raise hope before elections. lf the court could declare Kogi election as acceptable, it shows we are not ready for democracy in the country.
Definitely the COVID 19 will increase voter apathy and create opportunity for hijacking of ballots. l wish President Muhammadu Buhari, for once, could sincerely intervene by giving a formal order to the police, military and other security agencies to be neutral. The whole narrative would change for good. Unfortunately, l don›t see that happening since it did not happen during the Kogi election. During the administration of the late Umar Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan, INEC conducted governorship polls in Anambra and Ondo States and opposition parties won because those presidents were neutral and directed the police other security agencies and military to do the same. Since the 2003 that I started observing elections, l had the opportunity to observe elections in Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Tunisia and still remain the only Nigerian to be accredited by United Kingdom Electoral Commission as a foreign observer. l observed the UK general elections in 2010 and the Brexit referendum in 2016. One major factor l noticed that enhanced the electoral integrity of those countries was the neutrality of security agencies and the umpire.
INEC says it is ready for the elections. Do you share this view?
In any election, lNEC always assures Nigerians that it is ready. The readiness is subjective. The outcome or output will justify the input or what they mean by readiness.
What do you make of the introduction of a portal on INEC’s website for people to get election result real time?
The introduction of dedicated public portal, the INEC Result Viewing (IRV) by INEC is a welcome development. It will enable voters to view Polling Unit results in real time as the voting ends. It will strengthen the transparency of the process. But does that stop other manipulation methods? That does not constitute electronic collation of results, but a winning candidate should know ahead before the final collation. l don›t think this is the first time lNEC would come out with such innovations that never worked. l gathered that the by-election conducted in Nasarawa State two weeks ago, where the experiment was to start, it did not materialise.
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