News that the Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the European Union (EU) to ensure that the coming elections are free, fair and credible is heartening, indeed. Speaking on this development in Abuja on December 29, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Danjuma Sheni, said the step was taken as part of government’s commitment to the conduct of credible elections this year.
This is as it should be, because the 2015 elections starting less than six weeks away are very important for the country. They will largely determine whether Nigeria will continue to exist as a stable and indivisible country or not. So, every hand must be on deck to ensure a good outcome at the end of the exercise.
It is particularly gladdening that the EU has sent a delegation to the country to help in preparing the groundwork for a smooth and effective monitoring of the elections. The EU, no doubt, is interested in Nigeria as it is in other countries where democracy is practised, to ensure that all the political actors and stakeholders abide by democratic tenets, and that the system grows. We expect other partners like the United States of America (USA), United Nations (UN), the Commonwealth, African Union (AU) and other regional and world bodies to be fully represented here during the elections. The world has no choice but to partner with us to ensure that the elections are not only free, fair and credible, but even more, that we continue to play our part as a regional leader.
The larger and primary responsibility, however, remains with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other statutory agencies to ensure credible polls. Barely 40 days to the elections, the hope is that INEC will not fail the nation. Indeed, it cannot afford to fail as the price will be too huge to contemplate. This is why, while it still has time on its hands, the electoral agency should quickly address some of the issues that may hamper its ability to deliver acceptable elections.
The first is the issue of Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) distribution. We doubt if today, up to 30 per cent of the electorate has the PVC which INEC insists is the minimum, irreducible condition for voting. While we cannot fault the merit of the voting instrument, if persons amounting to about 70 per cent of the voting population were to be excluded from the coming elections through no fault of theirs, will that not raise the issue of credibility?
The controversy that attended INEC’s attempt to create additional polling booths, and its abrupt abortion of the plan, is another sign of a body that may not be totally in charge of its affairs. Now, the electoral body cannot afford to give out such danger signals. The outcome of the 2007 general elections is still fresh in the memory of the people.
Though the 2011 elections were adjudged to be a marked improvement on the previous ones under the present democratic dispensation, we must be on guard to ensure that we do not relapse to our old ways. In fact, INEC and all those saddled with ensuring credible and successful elections must work very hard to improve on the 2011 poll. As a dress rehearsal of some sort, the Edo, Anambra, Ekiti and Osun governorship elections have taken place, and despite INEC’s massive deployment of resources for the elections, there was much room for improvement.
Malpractices and irregularities such as stuffing and stealing of ballot boxes, and changing of figures at polling booths and collation centres, were observed in some of the previous elections and must not be allowed to occur again. The alleged presence of hooded security operatives as was introduced at the last Osun governorship election is a trend that was generally condemned and should not be repeated. Elections are a civic responsibility which must never be allowed to degenerate by omission or commission to a war situation. In this regard, all stakeholders – voters, political parties, civil society, security agencies and government – have a responsibility to ensure the desired attitude to the elections so that the outcome will be acceptable to all.
Security of lives and property remain a key concern. While we all appear agreed that everything must be done to ensure the security of the coming elections, we must not go overboard and undermine its integrity. We must remember that every election circle represents a learning curve. We must, however, be seen to be improving and correcting our previous mistakes. Perhaps, it bears reiterating that there are no perfect democracies anywhere in the world. That is why participants in the coming 2015 elections and, indeed, future elections, must imbibe the dictum of magnanimous winners and good losers. If, indeed, service to the people and country is the end goal, the outcomes of elections should not be too difficult to accept.
