All over the world, free, fair and credible election is a common standard of measuring democratic maturity. No doubt, the elections conducted so far in Nigeria provide useful clues to the level of the country’s democratic maturity.
Going by the elections conducted so far this year in Nigeria, it is widely accepted that there are improvements compared to what was obtained from the previous elections. Reported cases of stuffing of ballot boxes, snatching of ballot boxes, violence at polling units and other electoral vices were at the minimum. To crown it all, both domestic and international observers in their separate statements adjudged the election as the freest and fairest the country had ever conducted in its fifty years of existence.
The earliest indication of government’s determination to conduct free, fair and credible election was the sack of Professor Maurice Iwu whom many Nigerians believed lacked the practical competence to deliver in the enormous task judging from his previous lapses in conducting the exercise. The appointment of a seasoned Political Scientist, Professor Attahiru Jega as the Chair of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was overwhelmingly welcomed by Nigerians as a step in the right direction. The incumbent President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan took that bold step of appointing a man of reputable character after promising Nigerians that his decision to run for the Presidency would not deter him from conducting an election that would meet international standards.
Another signal that President Jonathan would not go back on his words was the timely allocation of all the funds demanded by the INEC and the unalloyed cooperation accorded the electoral body. Thenceforth, the legislators responded swiftly by accommodating some of the relevant alterations suggested by INEC in a bid to ensuring that the Electoral Act would provide the conducive basis for conducting free, fair and credible elections. In addition, the extensions demanded by the INEC for the conduct of the elections were also approved in order to put in place all necessary measures for hitch-free elections.
Furthermore, INEC went ahead to produce a voters’ register aimed at identifying all eligible voters in the country. To ensure the quick detection of multiple registrations and elimination of underage voters, INEC introduced the use of Direct Data Capturing (DDC) Machine for the registration of eligible voters. This was unlike what was obtainable in the past when the country conducted flawed voters registration which made it difficult to identify multiple registrants and underage voters. To ensure that the best hands carried out the registration exercise, INEC used Youth Corps Members and students, contrarily to the use of civil servants whom many analysts accused of rigging the elections for politicians in the past.
The two elections conducted so far have been adjudged a huge success. INEC employed the Open-Secret Voting System in which accreditation was conducted first to verify the names of voters in the register before the actual commencement of voting. After voting, electorates were permitted to stay behind and witness the counting of the votes to avoid a situation in which the ballot boxes would be stuffed with doctored votes or snatched by political hoodlums or thugs. After counting the votes in the open view of the voters, the results of the elections were also pasted at the polling units to ensure transparency.
Although, INEC’s Chair, Professor Jega witnessed some hiccups, those challenges were not unexpected in large scale elections as this. A statement by the US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton said the Presidential election “was far from perfect.” However, the statement indicated that the US President Barack Obama applauded the orderly conduct of the elections and decried the violence that followed.
Jega, saddled with the responsibility of organizing the most expensive election ever conducted in the country, had to battle initial logistic challenges including how to erase the names of underage voters from the rolls, how to electronically dictate multiple registrations and how to avoid falsification of results at the polls and other related electoral malpractices. The late arrival of sensitive electoral materials botched the initially scheduled elections which led to a further postponement of the election dates. Meanwhile, the postponement of the elections for several times and the alteration of the Electoral Act to give INEC more time for the exercise were all proactive measures put in place to ensure smooth conduct of the polls.
The drama in Anambra Central and the post-election violence that broke out across the country masterminded by some hoodlums in some parts of the country following the declaration of Jonathan as the winner of the presidential race and the eventual rejection of the Presidential results by the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari are some of the glaring challenges of the aftermath of the elections.
It is hoped that the INEC will amicably address the problem in Anambra Central and that President Jonathan will reintegrate the already politically polarized country.
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