“A politician thinks of the next election. A statesman, of the next generation.” – James Freeman Clarke
By John Ekundayo
In the last edition of this column, the audacious and admirable steps taken by the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), were commended while chastising and critiquing the leisurely, lackadaisical and laidback posture of the National Assembly regarding the atavistic, archaic and antiquated electoral process bedeviled with plethora of problems inherent in the Electoral Act 2010. Putting it simply and squarely, in this day and age of digital technology, the existing electoral act is definitely both obsolete and obtuse. However, eminent men and women of both the green and red chambers appeared to have taken up the gauntlet having woken up from seeming sudden slumber. Apparently burning the candle at both ends, the lawmakers came out with a contentious draft of the much-lampooned electoral act. The outcome of their hard work as being appraised across board, apparently, leaves a sore taste in the mouth of many elder statesmen, analysts, socio-cultural groups and civil society organizations nationwide.
Electronic voting devoid of electronic transmission?
In this last edition of the Followership Challenge, electronic voting was commended and recommended to be adopted in the conduct of 2023 elections. The National Assembly (NASS) seemingly have no problem in unanimously accommodating and adopting this in the process of amending the electoral act. However, much as the NASS concurred with electronic voting, the august body frowned at electronic transmission of results in the purported amendment about to be concluded and passed to President Muhammad Buhari for assent. The NASS owes many Nigerians loads of explanations if the body is to be taken seriously on her stand and stake on this germane matter of public importance much more so as it was alleged that the clause banning or prohibiting electronic transmission of results was purported ‘smuggled in’ at the eleventh hour despite much interface and interactions with cross sections of Nigerians to the contrary. Are the members of the National Assembly in the committee working in tune with the yearning, leaning and longing of the people that put them there? It is high time they ruminated on this vital question before finally commending the bill for assent to President Muhammad Buhari!
Electronic transmission: Antidote to malpractices
Succinctly stated, inculcating and institutionalizing electronic voting cum transmission is a way to checkmate and cripple corruption of election results. This has been stressed in this column some weeks back. It is good to reiterate these vital points here for the umpteenth time. Simply stated, electronic transmission, carried out utilizing robust and rugged information communication technology (ICT) systems, ensures the integrity and inviolability of elections. It is to be noted that robustness and ruggedness of the ICT system will ensure a secured, signed and coded system from the unit, to the ward and to the central server. It will also be backed up by great security features ensuring zero manipulation of results. In essence, there will be nothing to fear; rather much to cheer! One of the reasons this column opined earlier in one of the editions, to have some bye elections conducted via e-voting and electronic transmission of results before the 2023 elections. In addition, manual transmission of results is susceptible to manipulation, falsification and probable human errors as election results were wont to in Nigeria for decades resulting in vicious cycle of violence and vandalism. Moreover, worthy of consideration before the passage of the bill to the President for assent is the obnoxious acts of some unscrupulous electoral officers who are wantonly being compromised at the point of counting and collating of votes leading to corrupted and counterfeited results. In essence, adopting electronic transmission will ensure the non-existence of these inglorious acts within our electoral process.
NASS: Nigerians should task their representatives and senators
The vivacity and verve associated with the amendment of the Electoral Act 2010 cannot be underestimated necessitating the visit of the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing to the Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan in April this year. It was her prayer and desire that the needed amendment to the electoral act would be passed by the end of June 2021 as initially promised by the Senate. We are now in July. Hope is not lost. However, what is worth doing at all is worth doing well says an adage. It is instructive to highlight the response of the Senate President, Dr Ahmad Lawan, to the hue and cry of the populace who felt their voices were not captured in the whole exercise. He said inter alia: “It is very important that those who feel very strongly about any amendment that they think should be effected in the Electoral Act should contact or talk to their members of House of Representatives as well as distinguished Senators.” Saliently stated, he remarked that the presiding officers of both the green and red chambers are not the determinant of the new electoral act expected to be passed to the President for assent before the end of July 2021.
NASS: Winning election or deepening democracy?
It is imperative to state that our elected representatives of both chambers should display statesmanship in their conduct towards the thorough emergence of the new Electoral Act 2021. Equally worth considering is the issue of nomination deposits for aspirants. One wonders: is democracy for sale? Are we setting up our politicking and polity for the money bags? It is high time, NASS looked with people’s lens at campaign financing thresholds and limits to allow people with ideas but paucity of financial muscle to vie for offices within our polity in dire need of cerebral and credible minds. In essence, a seeming level playing field will be provided for all contestants devoid of shunting or shoving them aside for the opulent and wealthy. Pinpointedly and pungently put, the minimum amount specified in the purported amendment of the Electoral Act 2010 should be reviewed drastically downward! Moreover, the issue of pre-election cases should step up from the Federal High Court to the Appeal Court as the final arbiter. This will be fair and reassuring thus minimizing bias in judgement.
Conclusion
The National Assembly members’ thinking should be deep and reflective beyond any primordial, partisan and parochial issue and interest in developing and deepening our nascent democracy. It is to be noted that a thorough-bred review of the Electoral Act 2010 that will birth a brand-new Electoral Act 2021 needs injection and infusion of informed minds from a pluralistic perspective. This new act once assented to by the President should be tested in the conduct of elections from 2022 onwards. This way, the 9th Assembly would be bequeathing a worthy and enduring legacy to coming generations in tune with the words of James Freeman Clarke who opined: “A politician thinks of the next election. A statesman, of the next generation.” Conclusively, it is high time, exemplary patriotic and courageous followers, within the context of Nigeria’s polity, stirred themselves up, individually and corporately (organized groups), to pile pressure on the members of the National Assembly to ensure the expected thorough-bred Electoral Act 2021 is not still birthed thus ensuring that the integrity and sanctity of future elections are not jeopardized on the altar of puerile, pedestrian and political expediency.
Dr. Ekundayo, J. M. O., can be reached via 08155262360 (SMS only) and drjmoekundayo@hotmail.com
Leave a Reply