The much dreaded Nigerian presidential election has come and gone, and the citizens of this nation can now heave a great sigh of relief. Indeed, the whole world seemed to have been on edge on our account, and this fact apparently necessitated the direct message to Nigerians from President Barack Obama of the United States of America. The tension in the land was palpable in the few weeks leading up to the elections, even as the two frontline parties sought to outdo each other in mudslinging advertorials and campaign spending. We must be grateful that riots did not break out upon the announcement of the results, and much of that gratitude must go to President Goodluck Jonathan for placing that now greatly-applauded call to General Muhammadu Buhari even before the final results were announced. Once it was clear who the winner would be, the President called to concede defeat – and thereby helped douse a likely conflagration.
The fact that our worst fears have not played out does not mean, however, that we should simply wink at all that has happened in the course of the past four months or so, rule a line over everything and continue as if it would not be needful to take the trouble to review, analyse, draw lessons and, possibly prosecute those who may be found to have engaged in unlawful activities. Do we not keep making the same mistakes because we fail to learn the appropriate lessons? Does impunity not continue to rule in our public life because we refuse to hold to account those who in the past have been found wanting?
A first take-away is the lesson of General Buhari’s doggedness. He has brought fresh meaning to the children’s rhyme we used to recite: “If at first you don’t succeed; try, try, try again!” This never-give-up lesson, made famous by Sir Winston Churchill, is one that many of us need to learn so that we will begin to witness great advances in various areas of endeavour. Sir Churchill, having arrived late for a graduation speech he was to deliver, is said to have succinctly summarised his message for the young graduates: “Never give up; never, never give up; never, never, never give up.” General Buhari obviously has learned that lesson.
Now, to the conduct of the campaigns, especially the way it was done by the leading parties, APC and PDP, certainly the expression “campaign of calumny” does come to mind. However, the aspect I wish to draw attention to is the mindboggling sums of money which have been spent. One has to pose the question as bluntly as possible: Was it responsible to spend money like there was nothing else that mattered, in a country with roads, electricity, hospitals, schools, etc., all needing urgent attention? I had pointed out at a meeting between INEC and political parties which held some four days before the election that we must find out where all that money came from. Have our treasuries at the federal and state levels been emptied? We should remember that civil servants are being owed salaries, for example in Osun State, where the last salary paid was that of October.
Even beyond the issue of the source of campaign funding, some more important matters must be raised, especially regarding the placement of advertorials. Should there not be a limit to how much air time an individual can buy, even with his or her own money? Democracy will thrive when equal opportunity to be heard is assured for all contestants, and one of them is not allowed to drown out the others either because as the incumbent he has control of state institutions, or because he has all the money to purchase endless air time and pages in several newspapers. It would be a positive development, for example, if the proprietors of television stations could offer a one-minute slot to all candidates at prime time as part of their social responsibility.
We must be honest with ourselves; the conduct of the elections was rather shoddy. While INEC kept insisting on its readiness prior to the postponement, it was obvious that it really was not: millions of PVCs were still unprinted or undelivered, the card readers were yet to be tested, and officers were waiting to be adequately trained. What would have happened had a postponement not been imposed on INEC? And then from the reports given by the collation officers of the different states, one is shocked at the number of cancelled votes there were all over the country, resulting primarily from the snatching of ballot boxes as well as from logistical problems. Hundreds of thousands of voters ended up being disenfranchised in this way. We must find a way to put an end to such occurrences.
It should be clear to us now that the job which INEC is required to do for us is primarily a logistics one. And maybe a university professor is not necessarily the person who is best qualified to deliver it flawlessly. A good reputation is useful; but that is certainly not the only qualification needed to ensure the delivery of millions of items around the country at the right time. We must begin in Nigeria to match the profile of nominees for positions with the job that they are required to do. For the next INEC Chairman, maybe we should begin looking for someone with qualifications and proven experience in logistics and project management.