Towards a better governorship and state legislature elections

The 2023 Presidential and National Assembly elections have been contested, conducted, won and lost. But, the echoes still linger. Political parties and their flag bearers as well as observers have asked questions concerning the execution of the electoral process at the polls and collation of results by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

INEC too has also admitted that the last national elections raised a number of issues that require immediate, medium and long-term solutions. The commission noted that while the planning for the election was painstakingly done, its implementation came with some challenges, many of which were unforeseen.

To show how “regrettable” it was, INEC has said it would punish its officials, whether ad-hoc or collation personnel, found wanting in the disruption of the conduct of the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections. Beyond regrets and punishing offenders, the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, in a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Abuja last week said, “As we approach the Governorship and State Assembly elections, we must work harder to overcome the challenges experienced in the last election, acknowledging that nothing else would be acceptable to Nigerians.”

Erring officers in the presidential and national assembly elections are barred from participating in the next elections on Saturday according to Yakubu, to avoid same pitfalls and to justify the commission’s innocence.

He said, “All staff found to be negligent, whether they are regular or ad hoc officials, including Collation and Returning Officers, must not be involved in forthcoming elections. RECs must also immediately initiate disciplinary action where prima facie evidence of wrongdoing has been established.”

Prof Yakubu told the RECs how paramount it was for the commission to identify the challenges as well as address them ahead of the concluding phase of the general election involving the largest number of constituencies where we have: 28 state governorship elections and 993 State Houses of Assembly seats. According to the INEC boss, issues of logistics, election technology, the behaviour of some election personnel at different levels, and attitude of some party agents and supporters added to the extremely challenging environment in which elections are usually held in Nigeria.

“We appreciate the sacrifice and doggedness of Nigerians and the dignity and maturity displayed by political leaders even in the context of divergent views about the election. A lot of lessons have been learnt.”

He said that arising from the penultimate Saturday’s election, the Commission had received reports from its state offices as well as complaints and petitions from political parties and candidates.

He assured Nigerians and all other stakeholders that where infractions of any kind are proven, there will be redress. He added that any action taken and would be taken by the commission is and will be without prejudice to the rights of parties and candidates to seek further remedy as provided by law. He directed the RECs that election day logistics must be finalised days before the election and handled by the Electoral Officers EOs at local government level.

“This has been our standard practice. Centralising the process as was done in some states resulted in delayed deployment of personnel and materials and late commencement of polls.

“RECs will be held responsible for any tardy arrangement or the failure to deploy electric power generators to collation centres or polling units where such facilities are needed. The Commission has enough facilities in all the States of the Federation. Failure to deploy them is simply inexcusable,” he said.

Yakubu stressed that refresher training would be conducted for ad hoc staff, who participated in the last election, and that where they are replaced (outrightly) for good reason, they will be properly trained so that processes are not delayed or compromised at any stage.

Yakubu promised that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) would still be deployed for voter accreditation and result management, maintaining that the deployment of BVAS has gone a long way to sanitise voter accreditation going by the result of recent elections.

“Since last week, the Commission has intensified the review of the technology to ensure that glitches experienced, particularly, with the upload of results are rectified. We are confident that going forward, the system will run optimally.”

A former National Commissioner of the INEC, Prof. Lai Olurode, while appraising the Presidential and National Assembly elections of February 25, said the attack on INEC regarding the conduct of the 2023 presidential and national assembly elections was uncalled for.

He believes INEC has done its best in that circumstance, saying that no matter what the electoral body has put in place, the existing infrastructure deficit would not make the Commission’s best to be enough. He pointed out that elections all over the world have their peculiar challenges and Nigeria’s cannot be an exception.

He went further to say, “Perhaps, we could have had a different outcome if the opposition parties didn’t fail to reach a formidable consensus.

“The major political parties and candidates who didn’t win, particularly the Labour Party and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have said they would approach the court which is good for our democracy. At least, approaching the court will reveal the fault lines so that if not for the next elections on March 11, subsequent elections will be better managed.

“I think lessons have been learnt, particularly, by INEC. The electoral body shouldn’t promise what it knows it might not be able to deliver. Of course, INEC should issue guidelines to administer the elections but whatever it knows it cannot deliver, there is no point making promises on that.”

Olurode advised against over dependence on technology in elections, warning that there should not be overdose of election technology, because, according to him, “if it fails, it is going to create its own problem.”

“We thank God that there is no massive failure of BVAS in any of the stronghold of any opposition political party or region. This is because if it had failed in any region, it could have appeared that it was deliberate so that a region will lose out in those elections.

“In fact, those that owned the technology in Germany, US, India and so on are reluctant as to how much technology should be deployed in their electoral process. If software is hacked for instance, you are in trouble. I don’t think we should be taking much risk of involving too much technology in our elections.”

He felt INEC would have applied caution, saying, “I think INEC is too in a hurry to attain perfection. We are dealing with desperate politicians who are ready to do anything for votes. So, INEC needs to be more careful and circumspect as we approach the governorship election.

“Ahead of the governorship poll, I think INEC shouldn’t promise electronic transmission of results. There are reforms we need to do. What is the point going to Abuja for presidential election? Why can’t result be declared in each of the regions? We can have INEC headquarters in each of the geo-political zones and results would be declared there. INEC chairman will just have to collate the final one in Abuja.

“Also, logistics have to be improved upon. They should also look at how to improve upon BVAS and also the training of the ad-hoc staff. Some of them just messed everything up. We have series of allegations that some of them by-passed the use of BVAS. If this is true, they should be sanctioned and not be used for subsequent elections.”  All these are in agreement with what INEC has promised to do.

Generally speaking, INEC deserves some commendations, and it needs to be encouraged as such. We agree there were some hiccups that could not make us completely exonerate the electoral umpire. It was alleged that there were attempts to hack the results and all kind of attempts to bring down INEC, making the Commission to be under intense pressure. Rome, they say, was not built in a day. Democracy cannot be perfected in a day.

BVAS in a way has improved accreditation. This is a foundation that we can begin to build on. We can leverage on it to improve on our electoral process. What is important is the mindset of an average Nigerian politician. It’s been discovered that when they don’t win an election, that election is labelled the worst. It should not be so. The earlier we imbibe the culture of accepting defeat in an election, the better for us. Enough of heating up the polity, enough of do or die. In any contest, there can only be a winner.

We equally enjoin observers and whatever interest they are representing to avoid outright condemnation. We agree we are not perfect, but there is a process, and it’s on course. We’ll surely get there.

INEC should put in its best in Saturday’s polls. Let there be a clear and better departure from presidential’s, by improving the electoral process.

For one thing, we thank God for the opposition parties that have chosen to be civil by seeking redress at the court. The court should step up its game and rise up to the occasion. As the court is giving its verdicts, we should be civil enough to abide by it.

We have had enough of bloodshed in the land. Nigeria cannot at this time afford to wage war against itself. Aggrieved candidates are enjoined to eschew violence, as development only thrives in a peaceful atmosphere.