2011 ELECTIONS: A REVIEW
FOR different reasons, the 2011 general election will be a talking point for quite some time. To an appreciable extent, the elections salvaged the bad image grafted onto the country by the scandalous conduct of the 2007 exercise. Although in no way flawless, the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) under Professor Attahiru Jega’s watch was a far cry from the disgraceful election conducted by the same organisation under the chairmanship of Professor Maurice Iwu.
ONE factor that accounted for the glaring difference between the 2007 and 2011 elections is the critical question of leadership. In 2007, former President Olusegun Obasanjo publicly and unabashedly declared that it was going to be a do-or-die affair. Certain real or imagined opponents were declared unfit to participate in the elections. But for their recourse to the law courts, the affected aspirants should have lost their constitutional right to run for political positions of their choice. The electoral body exhibited gross ineptitude and downright insincerity. Election materials disappeared in transit. Voter registration machines were found in the residences of ranking members of the ruling party. In violation of the provisions of the electoral Act, the results of elections conducted in some states were announced in Abuja for fear of likely reaction to such questionable results in the affected states. The election of so many governors and legislators could not stand the test of judicial scrutiny. Even the election of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua was upheld by a three-to-two split decision at the apex court. The elections at all levels were roundly condemned by both local and international observers.
SINCE he assumed office as president of the country, one recurring theme in Dr Goodluck Jonathan’s public statements is the assurance that the people’s vote would count in the 2011 elections. From the manner in which he sacked Iwu and opted for a man of Jega’s integrity as replacement, it was apparent that he meant every word of his assurance. The success, however relative, of the just-concluded elections could certainly not have been achieved under an overbearing political leader. Our fervent hope is that the 2011 elections will serve as a standard on the crucial issue of non-interference with the people’s right to democratic choice.
THE message has, at different times, been driven home to Jega that the hot seat of chief electoral umpire is one from which most of the previous occupants have not departed with their reputation intact. It is gratifying that this has strengthened rather than weakened his resolve to make a difference. He has, for different reasons, been pilloried by the media. The cost of the Direct Data Capture Machines he procured was considered prohibitive. The initial stages of the voter registration was problematic largely because the machines performed poorly. His cancellation of the National Assembly election that was already underway on April 2, 2011, was generally seen as a false start. These initial errors have turned out to be the foundation on which the eventual relative success has been built.
THE entire process of the 2011 elections was widely adjudged as transparent. To a considerable extent, the open/secret system of balloting blocked the loopholes usually exploited by unscrupulous politicians to perpetrate electoral fraud at polling stations. The novel idea of bringing the National Youth Service Corps participants to serve as ad hoc electoral officials greatly diminished the chances of multiple thumbprinting of ballot papers. The involvement of university vice chancellors and professors as returning officers enhanced the integrity of the elections. Although they identified a number of shortcomings, election monitors-both local and international-attested to the credibility of the elections.
AS Jega savours the generous adulations coming from within and outside Nigeria’s shores, he should, however, take special note of the flaws observed in the conduct of the elections. There were still cases of ballot box snatching in spite of the open/secret system of voting. There were rampant cases of underage registration and voting especially in the North. Ad hoc INEC officials who resisted the pressure to register minors and allow them vote were threatened and harassed into submission. It is amazing that there could be cases of multiple thumbprinting of ballot papers in a country that spent so much money to procure Direct Data Capture Machines which were used to register prospective voters electronically. The most painful and traumatic aspect of the elections is the wanton violence unleashed on innocent citizens, especially youth corps members by hoodlums in many states in the North. It was a tragedy of monumental proportions. It was another instance of failure of intelligence and indeed of government to protect its own citizens.
INEC now has sufficient time to plan ahead and ensure that these flaws are eliminated from future elections. Adequate security should always be provided at both registration and polling centres to frustrate desperate politicians in their usual bid to pervert the very essence of democracy. Both Jonathan and Jega deserve commendation for the positively significant difference between the 2007 and 2011 elections. The general expectation, however, is that Nigeria can and should do better.
Dated - 13/05/2011
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