For several reasons, the release of the time-table for the 2019 general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been greeted with mixed feelings. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines some of the challenges that must be addressed, if the commission must conduct hitch-free elections.
THE release of the time-table for the 2019 general elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), two years ahead of the exercise, caught many Nigerians unawares. It was strange to them, because in the past such time-table was released only months before the polls.
According to the time-table, the presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on February 16, 2019. This will be followed by governorship, state assembly and the Federal Capital Territory council elections on March 12.
Though many observers have welcomed the early release of the time-table, because it will give INEC and politicians ample time to plan and prepare for their exercise, they have equally identified some of the issues that may constitute hurdles for the the electoral body, if not tackled on time.
A civil society activist and President/Convener, Nigeria Voters Assembly (VOTAS), Comrade Moshood Erubami, believes there is nothing wrong in INEC releasing the time-table now. He said the early release of the time-table is an indication that the electoral commission is seriously desirous of conducting free and fair elections in 2019.
He said: “The early release is a positive move, given the advantages embedded in the innovation. It would give the electorate the opportunity to assess the parties on their deliveries and make up their minds on which party and candidates to vote for during the elections.
“It will also serve as enough notice to stakeholders, to the necessary steps to satisfy all the guidelines from INEC. The commission will also have enough time to evolve internal mechanisms to correct the mistakes of the past, as contained in the reports of local and foreign election observers.”
Erubami said there will be enough time to train permanent and ad-hoc staff, procure all necessary equipment, data capturing machines, card readers, update the voters’ register, release Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) to those who are yet to claim their cards and possibly review the boundaries of some polling units to accommodate over bloated numbers.
The Commissioner in-charge of Southwest, Mr Solomon Soyebi, said the release of the time-table was to set a template in line with international best practices. He said: “It is just an example of what we want election year to look like; it is just like a standard practice as the case in United States, Ghana, Switzerland, Mexico and so on.”
Soyebi explained that the commission has decided to fix the presidential and National Assembly elections for the third Saturday in February of the election year, while state elections will follow two weeks later. He said: “It is not about 2019 alone; it is about all future elections in Nigeria. The same template will apply to 2023, 2027, 2031 and subsequent elections. It is a principle to hold the election around 100 days to the end of term. It is a template we are institutionalising.”
In the view of many experts, credible elections require adequate planning. But, the commission, they add, must develop the capacity to deal with challenges. In this regard, it must not hide under the illusion that its preparations are perfect or that it has accounted for all the challenges that could arise.
This will compel the INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmud Yakubu and his team to go back to drawing board whenever necessary, to tackle the following identified problems: provision of authentic voter register, menace of malfunctioning card readers, distribution of uncollected PVCs, training of ad-hoc staff and the absence of Resident Electoral Commissioner (RECs) in many states. It also includes issues bordering on voter apathy, staff training , insecurity during and after elections.
Voter’s register
The success or otherwise of an election is determined by the quality of the voter register. This prompted INEC under Prof. Attahiru Jega to come up with the biometric register of voters used for the conduct of 2015 polls. Through this measure, the register was more credible than it was in 2011. Since then, there had been complaints of different factions of voters’ register in circulation and the omission of eligible voters’ names in many cases.
A lawyer, Mr Austin Ezechukwu, said it was not impossible that desperate politicians who want to win election by all means have hacked into INEC’s platform and insert fictitious names in the register. He said even though INEC is trying to ensure elections in this country are credible, but it has to be very careful with the activities of cyber criminals. INEC, he added, should device a method that will shield all sensitive materials and information from the reach of the criminals and their sponsors.
Ezechukwu noted that INEC has always been updating voter’s register whenever an election was about to take place. He cited the Edo and the Ondo governorship elections where registration of voters took place before the election, to enable those who have not registered, including those that has just attained the voting age, to do so.
He said the continuous registration of voters had not been successful in the past because INEC preparation was not adequate; the machines were faulty and the number of those seeking to register always overwhelms the personnel deployed for the exercise.
Card reader failure
The Smart Card Readers (SCRs) was introduced in 2015 by Prof. Jega, to ensure 100 per cent verification and authentication of voters. The introduction of card reader lent credibility to the 2015 general elections, because only those registered were allowed to vote and it also eliminated multiple voting which had always marred election in the country.
There were numerous cases of card reader failure in 2015. Observers had expected that by now the problem would have been solved. But this is not so. A lawyer and human right activist, Mr Monday Ubani, is worried that INEC has not found any solution to the problem of card reader failure. He said the problem reoccurs in every election and that INEC appears helpless in this regard.
Ubani argues that even if INEC procured the card readers from China nothing stops the commission from getting remedy through European technology. He said: “We should approach European countries that have the technical know-how, rather than stick to China. INEC should seek solution to the problem of card reader before 2019; we won’t take excuse from them.”
In this regard, a youth activist, Mallam Adamu Nasir, advised INEC to always put in place quality control measures in terms of checking the card readers before the voting day to know those that are functioning and those that are not. He said the lack of diligence preparation is responsible for card readers’ failure.
Nasir contends that the card reader is a simple machine that is not difficult to operate. If INEC had prepared diligently, they ought to have known the state of the card readers before deploying them to the field. He urged INEC to always ensure it trains ad hoc staff on the use of card readers on time.
Permanent Voters’ Card
The PVC was introduced to eliminate impersonation in voting. When prospective voters are about to register, the biometrics of each person is captured, because it has been proved that no two individuals have the same biometrics configuration in the world.
Despite the response of the Nigerian public to this innovation, what baffles analysts is the huge number of PVCs that have not been collected. For example, in Lagos State, about 1.47 million voters’ cards are yet to be collected.
Erubami noted that PVCs were part of the innovation introduced by Prof. Jega during his tenure to make election free, fair and transparent. He said the number of PVCs still uncollected could be because the owners have lost confidence in the electoral process.
Ezechukwu said there should be timeline for the collection of the cards. He said: “I will suggest if after two years a registered voter failed to collect his PVC, INEC should destroy it and remove his/her name from the voter’s register. Or else for how long will INEC continue to keep the uncollected cards?
“Taking this action will sanitise the electoral register. The names of fake voters would be removed and we shall be in a position to know exactly the number of authentic voters in this country. It will put an end to wide margin between the number of registered voters’ number and the number of votes cast.”
Absence of RECs
The Constitution prescribes the office of Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in each of the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT ). As at now, 33 states are without RECs. It is surprising that INEC has decided to embark on registration of voters in the absence of RECs. Who will coordinate this sensitive exercise? Will INEC rely on administrative staff in compiling credible voter’s register? Can INEC staff be trusted to handle this matter, given the fact that some of them have been indicted by a panel set up by the commission on Rivers re-run?
Though, it is not the responsibility of INEC to appoint RECs. The power lies with the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. INEC should have put pressure on the executive on the need to fill the vacancies rather than wait till now.
Ubani is not happy that the executive has not named new RECs to fill the vacancies created by the exit of the former office holders at the end of their tenure. He said now that INEC has released the time table for 2019 elections, President Buhari should as a matter of urgency appoint new resident electoral commissioners.
He said: “The present situation with INEC is not healthy; it doesn’t portray us as a country that is committed to democratic growth; the President should save the situation by naming new RECs for the 33 states where vacancies exist.”
Inconclusive elections
Based on the performance of INEC in the recent elections, it seems the commission has found its bearing. With regards to the Rivers re-run was concluded last month, it has to come out with new devices that will put a stop to unnecessary postponement of elections. Although INEC could not be blame for the Rivers case, because of the security lapses which is beyond its mandate, it must introduce sanctions against thuggery.
Ezechukwu calls for heavy sanction against state governors that work against free and fair election. To him, a state where electoral process is disrupted and lives are lost, no election should hold in that state and the Federal Government should declare a state of emergence in such state. He said such sanction will serve as deterrent to others.
He said if what we experienced in Rivers State was replicated in two or three other states, then there will be anarchy; nobody will be thinking of preparation for 2019 polls.
Prosecution of erring officials
For the first time, INEC has come up with a report on some of its officials who took bribe from politicians to rig elections. It is a commendable effort that must be sustained if INEC must be above board.
Ubani urged INEC to wield out the corrupt elements within the commission. According to him the job of INEC is meant for people of integrity and not dishonest people. He applauded INEC for prosecuting the indicted officials hoping that their conviction will send danger signals to other corrupt officials within the system.
A political scientist, Dr Abdul Azeez Mustapha called for total cleansing of INEC, with a view to removing the bad eggs in the agency. He made reference to the manifestation of dreaded corruption involving some highly- placed officials of the commission. He said all the indicted officers should face the wrath of the law.
Mustapha said given its strategic role as an umpire in a democratic election such tendency will spell doom for the election credibility in Nigeria. It is therefore necessary for a special anti-corruption unit to be created in the commission to handle all corrupt cases with utmost urgency, he suggested.
Training of Ad-hoc Staff
The electoral body relies on ad-hoc staff to conduct election. They are not acquainted with the election process; hence most of them are not competent in handling electoral materials. Some of the ad-hoc staff employed by INEC do not know how to operate card reader. On many occasions they have to stop election process until INEC Information Communication Technology personnel come around to put them through. Time is wasted because of minor problem.
INEC should put in place a comprehensive training programme for the ad-hoc staff. A three day training is inadequate for them to master the system. Ubani also advised INEC to be careful in recruiting ad-hoc staff because their loyalty cannot be guaranteed. The ad-hoc staff must be scrutinised to ensure that those recruited will not collude with politicians to sabotage the electoral process.
