Assistant Politics Editor, DANIEL KANU, analyses a recent presentation by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega, on the commission’s efforts at ensuring credible electoral process in the country.
Prof. Attahiru Jega, INEC chairman.
It is obvious that Nigeria has not really had it good when it comes to elections. This is especially as the nation’s democratisation process has at different occasions been bedevilled by badly conducted elections.
Against such background, there has been overwhelming desire among Nigerians for election reform that will herald free, fair and transparent electoral process.
Sweet assurance
In this regard, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has at different occasions listed the challenges faced by his commission. But he has always assured that efforts were being put in place to institute an electoral process that would be adjudged credible by international standard.
Penultimate Thursday, Jega, who was a guest lecturer at the Sociology Distinguished Lecture and Conference 2014, organised by the Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lagos (UNILAG), told the participants that INEC was fully prepared to conduct credible elections in 2015 despite challenges.
“As far as INEC is concerned, the 2015 general elections will see Nigeria take its rightful place in the comity of nations where electoral democracy is being consolidated,” Jega had pledged.
The INEC chair left no member of the audience in doubt that his commission had deployed enough technology to tackle future elections with proper mobilisation and orientation for the electorate and all stakeholders.
He said the commission had learnt a lot from the experiences of the 2011 elections and had taken measures, especially in the last 18 months, to conduct a better election in 2015.
It was an occasion that provided the INEC boss the opportunity to express his feelings on how far the commission had worked hard under the nation’s challenging political condition.
Making the votes count
He said there was the need for election in the country to be appropriately reformed, if the votes must count in electing the right type of leadership the people would call their own.
“Learning from the experiences of 2011, especially regarding the need for early preparations, the commission has undertaken the task of fundamental restructuring of its bureaucracy.
“It has established new policies to guide its work and embarked on far-reaching planning of its operations through a strategic election project plan and election management system,” Jega said.
He explained that the commission had concluded plans to issue all duly registered voters with permanent voter cards (PVCs) which would be swapped with card readers to ensure 100 per cent voter authentication.
While revealing further that a programme for the delimitation or review of electoral constituencies and creation of additional polling units had gradually commenced in some states, he said that training and retraining of its staff were underway.
Jega assured that with the measures put in place by the commission, the prospects of conducting better elections were bright.
Limitations of INEC
He did not fail to identify some of the constraints confronting the commission. These, he said, included insecurity, funding, attitude of the political class, apathetic citizenry and delay in amendment to legal framework.
Others, he said, were non-completion of the review of the electoral constituencies and polling units, and the prosecution of election offenders.
Good news
He, however, gave more heart-warming revelations on the effort of his commission at ensuring free and fair poll in future.
“Since 2011 when we conducted the general elections, we have ensured that our ballot papers are serially numbered. In Nigeria, we know that when ballot papers were not serially numbered like in the 2007 presidential election, we had a situation where people could move ballot papers from one place to another and use them for election purposes. We have dealt with that problem and we will keep improving on the integrity of our election materials.
“We have also customised result sheets. In the past, we had result sheets that could be used by politicians to return results illegally. The new result sheet is customised for each zoning unit. If the customised result sheet is destroyed or tampered with in any way, we have a very rigorous procedure to go through before it could be replaced. We have even gone further to do colour coding of our ballot papers. The colours of the ballot papers are different from one council area to the other. It is, therefore, impossible for anyone to snatch or steal ballot boxes and take them elsewhere.
“The colour coding that was used in Osun State was different from what was used in the Ekiti State election. On the day we were going to distribute sensitive election materials is the day we give a colour-coded map to political party agents, so that they can see the different colours of ballot papers in different local governments. It will then be impossible to take or snatch ballot box because it will be of no use to the person; you cannot bring it back,” he stated.
PVC as security document
Jega urged voters to secure their cards, as they may not have opportunity to get new ones easily.
“The Permanent Voter Card is a smartcard identity that contains the bio-data of all persons who are qualified to register. It has the biometrics and facial image. It has security features that make it impossible for it to be replicated,” the INEC chief added.
Clearing the air
The platform also provided him opportunity to react to some issues that bother stakeholders.
He spoke, for instance, on the issue of ban on movement, registration for those that just clocked 18 to enable them vote, voters register, election militarisation, monitoring the use of funds by political parties during campaigns and election proper, efficiency of biometric data, parties without clear-cut ideologies among others.
Jega disclosed that it is now possible for voters to transfer their registration status to a new residence, to avoid being disenfranchised on day of the election.
His words: “Voters can transfer their registration status. If you have changed the residence where you registered to a new area, you still have an opportunity to vote.
“All you need do is to apply through the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC)’s office and request for a transfer of your registration status. It is a simple thing to do. The commission will only require some information from you and it is done. Your card will be sent to you in your new area of abode and you will vote there.”
He explained the ban on movement. “Unregulated movement is exploited by thugs and it can be terribly disruptive. If you take the cost-benefit analysis of movement restriction, you will know that the benefit of the sacrifice outweighs the cost.”
He faulted claims of election militarisation, arguing that there were no facts to prove that the large security presence had prevented people from voting, insisting that the nation cannot have a successful election given the conditions on the ground without a credible security.
Jega added: “We should have no soldiers or perhaps little security presence on election day; but that is an ideal situation. We cannot do a successful election without a credible security. The facts do not show that the large security presence has stopped voters from exercising their voting rights.
“Even with the security on the ground, we recorded massive turn-out in both the Ekiti and Osun (governorship) elections. I see most of the arguments as political because it will serve us better and in the best interest of the nation to have security agents as well as other stakeholders like civil society and international observers monitor our elections.”
He remarked that there was nothing to worry about on the efficiency of the battery for card readers, stressing that its durability is guaranteed even more than the type that was used in Ghana and Kenya.
He further assured that the voter register cannot be falsified, given the technology it has undergone.
Jega explained that registration is on-going for those that have attained the age of 18, urging them to avail themselves of the opportunity.
He said the commission would continue to monitor the way funds are spent by political parties, but expressed worry that the law that prescribed the offence never prescribed punishment, although he charged the media and the civil society to join in the crusade to expose offenders.
Last line
Although Jega painted a picture of hope in his lecture, some analysts at the occasion observed that it was easy to make flowery sentences that would sway people but difficult to put them to practice.
Vice Chancellor, Lagos State University, Prof. John Obafunwa, who was the chairman of the occasion, was, for instance, of the opinion that for all the efforts of INEC to come to fruition, all stakeholders in the election – the media, civil society, political parties, politicians, voters, among others – must conduct and subject themselves to acceptable democratic tradition.
