- A welcome decision; it is in line with the practice in many other countries
The decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to fix permanent dates for elections henceforth is welcome. It is an indication that the commission is working ahead and taking steps to improve on the election template. By the calendar, the dates of the 2019 elections appear set. The presidential and National Assembly elections, fixed for the third Saturday of February of an election year would hold on February 16, while the states’ elections – governorship and state assembly- would be conducted on March 2.
This is in line with the practice in some other countries. The dates of American presidential elections are known to all. It is as fixed as the inauguration date. The same is true of Switzerland. In our sub-region, Ghana has a fixed date for its general elections. By INEC’s decision, suspicion over the factors that could have informed the dates fixed for election in the election year have been eliminated.
Besides, we find the idea fascinating because it could aid early preparation by all stakeholders. We agree with the commission’s chairman, Professor Mahmud Yakubu, that early preparation would be of immense benefit, especially for the next general elections because “the year is full of elections”. He explained that 2019 would open with presidential, National Assembly, 29 governorship, 109 senatorial, 360 House of Representatives, as well as 991 state assemblies’ elections. Sixty-eight local elections into the six area councils in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) would hold about the same time. Towards the end of the year, it would be time to conduct the governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa states.
We are, however, conscious that ensuring credible polls go beyond instituting a permanent calendar. The executive and legislative arms of the Federal Government should ensure that funds are made available on demand for items that have already been identified. As former INEC chairman Professor Attahiru Jega, pointed out in 2015, elections should be handled in cycles, not treated as an event. It, therefore, implies that everything that has been scheduled for 2017 ought to be done before the elections.
It is in this light that we also welcome the idea of starting the Continuous Voter Registration exercise nationwide in April. It would enable flaws, if any, to be identified and eliminated early. The Direct Data Capture machines and whatever other technology that would be deployed should be purchased ahead of time and fine-tuned.
It is unfortunate that the National Assembly has failed to fulfill its promise to review and amend the electoral laws before now. It is necessary for participants to know early enough the laws that would govern the exercise. This would also aid voter education by the commission, the political parties and other relevant government agencies.
Continuous interaction with the voters, parties, politicians and would-be candidates is very necessary if the deep cynicism and scepticism in the system is to be allayed. The people must see INEC at work and believe in its credibility.
This is where the commission’s performance in the elections ahead of 2019 is very important. As Prof Yakubu said, 167 elections have already been conducted since the last general elections, of which 20 per cent were declared inconclusive. The last supplementary legislative elections in Rivers State have particularly been called to question. It is no surprise that the 23 electoral officers in the local government areas are being prosecuted for alleged corrupt enrichment. In addition, INEC said 202 queries have been issued as part of its house-cleaning exercise, following that election.
We hope to see diligent prosecution in good time. This is a challenge for the commission, the judiciary and security agencies. When officials realise that they would be duly punished for infractions, impunity would drastically reduce.
As INEC appears to be preparing, we call on other interest groups and agencies such as the Inter-Agency Committee on Security, Civil Society Organisations and political parties to set the machinery for meeting international best practices in motion. We hope that, at the end of the exercise, INEC would improve on the limited success achieved in 2015.
