By Ishaya Ibrahim
A new Report has flayed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its failure to reprimand President Muhammadu Buhari after displaying his ballot paper during the vote on the February 25 presidential and National Assembly Elections.
The 44-page report titled: Unpacking Nigeria’s 2023 Elections, is the contribution of the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa (CAPPA) towards improving Nigeria’s electoral process.
Recall that after Buhari voted during the presidential election, he displayed his ballot paper to show people the presidential candidate of his choice.
That action of the president violated Section 129 (1) of the Electoral Act 2022 as Amended which stipulates that: “Exhibiting Party or election-related symbols within the vicinity of a polling unit or collation Centre on the day of election is an electoral offence that attracts a fine of N100,000 or imprisonment for 6 months.”
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CAPPA, in its report which was unveiled on Friday, May 23 in Lagos, said the failure of INEC to issue a reprimand against Buhari, sets a dangerous precedence.
Part of the report reads: “Central to the integrity of any election is the fair and unbiased conduct of all participants, including candidates, the electorate, supporters, political figures, and election officials.
“However, recent events during the 2023 general elections have raised concerns regarding the enforcement of electoral laws, particularly in relation to high–profile individuals who seemingly act with impunity.
“A glaring example of the disregard for electoral regulations occurred when President Muhammadu Buhari publicly displayed his ballot paper, revealing his thumbprint in favour of the APC Presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.
“Similarly, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, a prominent political figure, also flagrantly displayed his ballot paper to demonstrate his support for the APC presidential candidate during the presidential election.
“Those actions directly contradict the Electoral Act 2022…Surprisingly, neither President Buhari nor Orji Uzor Kalu has faced any penalties or reprimand from INEC for their clear violations of the law.”
The report commended INEC for incorporating technologies into the electoral system, especially the Bimodal Voters Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, which it said, inspired and heightened a sense of civic awareness among Nigerians.
The report, however, noted that the failure of INEC to transmit the presidential election results to its result-viewing portal on Election Day was a significant dent in the integrity of the process.
Akinbode Oluwafemi, Executive Director at CAPPA, said that the aftermath of the elections raised critical questions to which the report tried to provide answers.
Zikora Ibeh, CAPPA’s Research and Policy Officer, said the report was the product of onsite and offsite monitors who provided the information upon which the report was hinged on.
She lamented that people living with disabilities were left out of the election because many polling units didn’t have critical tools like the brail or magnifying glasses to aid the blind to vote.
Aderonke Ige, the NGO’s associate director, said CAPPA had provided training to CSOs and the media before the election, deployed personnel to monitor the election, and has now done a post-mortem of the outcome.
Director of Programmes at CACOL, Tola Oresanwo, said aggressive education of the public remains the fastest way of effecting positive change to Nigeria’s electoral process.