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Author: chuka
Posted to the web: 4/29/2007 4:10:52 PM

NIGERIAN ELECTORAL PROCESS: DIM LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNELOnce again, Nigerians have been thrown into regret and despair as their wishes have been dashed in the just concluded elections. The hopes, enthusiasm and determination to bring about a change in the political landscape of the country have suffered another serious setback. The landslide or rather ‘airslide’ victory of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the polls raises a number of questions in the minds of well-meaning Nigerians. Is it meant to show that Nigerians are so satisfied with the performance of the PDP led-governments that they desire an extension of their mandates, or does it raise some issues on the integrity and fairness of the entire exercise?I think the later view is the case. The overwhelming outpour of disaffection about the exercise, the violence and gangarism that characterized the entire process and my distrust for the Nigerian electoral process stemming from previous experiences confirm my position. Hence, this piece critically analyzes the body which has the primary responsibility of giving Nigerians a credible election - INEC. It bemoans its attenuating role in the Election Tribunals which would have been the last resort for the offended politicians and Nigerians in general. The Distortions – The INECThe name of Nigeria’s electoral body, “Independent National Electoral Commission - INEC” is the first fallacy of the electoral system, as the constituent words of the commission are false and misleading. An analysis of these words illuminates this assertion.Independent – This is one element that is lacking in the electoral body. The commission is neither independent of the federal and state governments nor the ruling PDP. This state of affairs is partly attributable to the fact that the chairman of the Commission is appointed by the President, and the Commission is funded by the federal government. Thus, it appears to be a case of “he who pays the piper calls the tune.” The enthusiasm with which Professor Maurice Iwu (INEC Chairman) defended the federal government before, during and after the election set him out as a man who was acting a written script.National – Clearly, the activities of the Commission reveal that it does not work for the nation, but for a certain group of people. The sensitive nature of the task of the Commission to the survival of the nation has never been appreciated by the Commission. The fact that one erroneous election result could throw the entire nation into pandemonium could have inspired wisdom in the Commission to act responsibly. The 1993 June 12 disaster is a good example. Hence, it is doubtful whether the electoral commissioners know the magnitude of responsibility they are saddled with. No wonder, they put the interest of a few group of people over the peace, harmony and mutual coexistence of the entire nation. In fact, INEC is not ‘national’ but parochial. Electoral – The use of this word in describing Nigeria’s electoral body is a misnomer. Since the establishment of the Commission in 1999, it is doubtful whether it has conducted any election in Nigeria. This is because, the Commission has, in substance existed to legitimize political office holders selected by the presidency. Experience has shown that it is more difficult to earn PDP nomination than to win the actual election. Once a candidate has secured PDP nomination, s/he has satisfied over ninety percent (90%) of the requirements for occupying the post s/he is vying for. In fact, securing PDP nomination is akin to being selected for the post. Commission - Finally, it is doubtful if INEC should be addressed as a “commission”. To my mind, INEC is more of a coalition party with the PDP than an electoral commission. How else can one explain the double standard exhibited by INEC in Peter Obi v. Chris Ngige case where the Court of Appeal Enugu had to decry the partisan stance of INEC in the case? At first, to defend the result and the PDP, INEC insisted that the released result represented the voting at the election; but when the powers at Aso Rock decided to unseat Ngige even to the detriment of PDP, INEC’s testimony in the case changed. What a tragedy for a country! The above analysis reveals that the appropriate name for the so-called INEC is The PDP Parochial Selection Coalition (PPSC). The Dim LightAll through the history of Nigeria, its courts have never stood up to defend democracy, rule of law and the rights of the citizens as they have done between 2006 and 2007. Radical political decisions are being handed down against the government; executive lawlessness has been condemned and brought within the law; stage-managed impeachments have been nullified and INEC’s excesses have been upturned. Thus, the judiciary represents the light at the end of the dark tunnel of Nigeria’s democratic experiment. With such an activist judiciary that interprets the law irrespective of who is involved or affected, I see light beaming up. At least, the excesses of INEC, the manouvres of political parties and overreaching influence of thugs have no place in court proceedings. Against this background, I see the courts upturning most of these stage-managed ‘selections’ termed elections, provided sufficient and convincing evidence is brought before them. But, here lies the challenge. How does one get the required evidence? Since INEC, which keeps custody of the necessary evidence, takes sides with the PDP, one of the party to the dispute, justice appears elusive. Notwithstanding the determination of the court to do justice in any case, unless sufficient convincing evidence is presented before it, its hands are tied. This calls to mind the events that took place at the 2003 Enugu Gubernatorial Election Tribunal. Proceedings in the tribunal were frustrated by INEC’s inability to produce evidence of the votes credited to the PDP candidate – Chimaroke Nnamani. Thus, the light which the courts and tribunals represent is a dim one. While it is heartwarming to know that our courts are poised to do justice, not minding whose ox is gored, the fact that this justice is, to a reasonable extent, predicated upon the evidence to be supplied by INEC deals a serious blow to the potency of the court’s ability to dispense justice. Clearly, INEC is the problem with Nigerian democracy! I therefore urge the politicians, the parties and all Nigerians in general to focus attention on how to build an independent and responsible electoral body. Not only should the INEC chairman be jointly elected by all the parties, but the body should be allowed some financial autonomy. Free and fair elections are not just paramount to the consolidation of democracy in Nigeria, but also to accountability, transparency and delivery of the much needed, but elusive democracy dividends to Nigerians.