The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Prof Mahmud Yakubu

  • On the 2023 Campaigners in 2019

    Early campaign or what some political analysts would rightly call ‘jumping the gun’ is part of what blights our electoral process. It is distasteful and disruptive, as it cuts into the time for governance. Worried about the development, top political actors and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission have had cause to speak against it at one time or another. So disturbed by its potential to upset the process was INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, who in October last year warned political parties against campaigning ahead of schedule. Speaking at a workshop for election professionals from the Commonwealth Africa Region organised by the Commonwealth, in partnership with INEC, Prof. Yakubu reminded political parties of the provisions of Section 99 (1) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended. The section prohibits campaigns by political parties earlier than 90 days before polling day.

    That was October 2018 for the presidential election that eventually held on February 23, 2019, just one month before the stipulated time for the commencement of campaigns for that poll. Yet campaigning at that time was considered improper in the eyes of the law and of right-thinking people, as it amounts to jumping the gun. How much more then of campaigning for 2023 elections in 2019? Four years away, and at a time re-elected President Muhammadu Buhari has yet to form his cabinet to pilot the affairs of the country for the next four years; the campaign about 2003 at this time is, therefore, inelegant and unhelpful in my view. Even as unstructured, uncertain and unpredictable as our politics can be, we should at least give some space for governance after a general election before we launch into another cycle of politics and campaigns.

    But the extant campaigners can hardly be bordered. It wouldn’t have rankled much if they had not dragged Asiwaju Bola Tinubu into the mix. Some of them are going about it as if on malicious errand. First, the strange campaigners printed some souvenirs, including shirts, T-shirts, fez caps and leaflets with the words ‘Asiwaju Tinubu 2003’ embossed on them. The souvenirs were traced to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and allegedly sponsored by a top politician in Kaduna following reports in a national newspaper, quoting intelligence sources. Later, some hoisted a banner bearing Tinubu 2003 in a popular area of Lagos. Just last week, another group of campaigners, sounding seemingly defiant, posted a video on social media campaigning for the alleged Tinubu 2003 agenda.

    Without his knowledge or support, some of these campaigners have continued to drop Asiwaju’s name in their crusade. Are they altruistic or fifth columnists at work? Big question! In my view, if they mean well, they would gladly seek Asiwaju’s permission before launching on a project they seemingly want to spearhead. That way, even if the All Progressives Congress National Leader views their activity as unwelcome at this time, he would at least thank them. The point, however, is any such activity, no matter how well intended, is undesirable at present. Neither Asiwaju nor anyone known to him would approve, authorise or fund any such activity.

    Those associated with these actions should cease and desist as they are against Asiwaju’s expressed wishes as I see it. The distribution of those alleged campaign items, the hoisting of that banner or indeed the 2023 campaigns as it were at this time serve only to cause confusion. President Buhari and our other elected officers should be allowed to face the business of governance. As a man committed to good governance and the well-being of all Nigerians, Asiwaju I know believes all of us should concentrate our focus on resolving the stiff challenges our nation faces at present. Talking about 2023 when we are still to fully navigate 2019 is not among those challenges.

    Those who know Asiwaju know that such premature and over anxious politicking is abhorrent to his progressive stance. His focus, I must point out, is on supporting Buhari in any way he can as well as strengthening APC so that it can deliver the best governance possible to the people at the federal, state and local levels. This is affirmed by his visit to Ondo last month where he helped to bring internal reconciliation within the party and other interventions he has made in recent times.

    Those who truly support and believe in Asiwaju should stop all talk of 2023 at the moment and join him in supporting PMB and all other elected party members so that the APC may honour the progressive promises it tendered to the Nigerian people during the just-concluded election. Asiwaju is more than content to work on these important matters at hand. Talk of future elections is putrid and woefully presumptuous. 2023 will take care of 2023 in due course. That cannot be rushed in my view.

    • Rahman, former Editor of THISDAY, Saturday & Sunday Newspapers, is Media Adviser to APC National

  • 2019 Polls and the Akwa Ibom Charade

    Though the 2019, general elections may have come and gone, history would no doubt record, the exercise as a peculiar one.

    This may not be unconnected with the negatives that overshadowed the intent of the elections nationwide.

    Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had given the world assurances that the election would be free, fair and credible.

    This was aside the chest – thumping by the electoral body that it was ready for the elections as scheduled. Indeed, nobody had cause to doubt INEC in view of the fact that the nation was conducting its most expensive election in history.

    Even INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu told the world that the commission had enough funds to undertake the poll.

    Alas, the world was taken by surprise when INEC told a shocked world that it had postponed the Presidential election scheduled to hold February 16 to 23.

    Curiously, the announcement was made long after Nigerians had gone to bed with the hope of exercising their franchise the next day.

    Read also: Akwa Ibom APC seeks tribunal’s relocation to Abuja

    This was no doubt due to the fact that Nigerians had put their hope in an electoral umpire in dire need of help.

    Even President Muhammadu Buhari who had landed in his home town of Daura to vote was peeved by the development, as he assured the nation that a probe would be launched into the incident after the polls.

    Two weeks after, when the Presidential Election held, INEC’s inefficiency was again laid bare before the world.

    From Lagos to Kano, Rivers, AkwaIbom, Bauchi, Ondo and many more, it was complaints galore over different impediments arising from faulty card reader machines to poor voter’s turnout, late arrival of materials and many more.

    When the governorship election eventually held, things went from bad to worse across the states.

    On the said date, INEC ad-hoc staff staged an early morning strike to protest non- payment of their allowances among others, leading to late take off of the polls.

    In Akwa Ibom state, apathy was a major tool deployed by the people to express a vote of no confidence to protest the glaring partiality of the Resident Electoral Commissioner, (REC), Mr Mike Igini who from day one had aligned himself with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

    In fact, the All Progressives Congress (APC) had told the world that it was uncomfortable with Igini superintending over elections in the state months before.

    This was to no avail as the electoral body’s hierarchy in Abuja looked the other way despite this glaring injustice.

    Even when the APC chairman in the state, Mr. Ini Okopido raised a weighty allegation in a petition, that Igini told him point blank in a telephone conversation that this party will never win in the state, this was never investigated.

    Said he “in a recent telephone conversation with the undersigned,(Ini Okopiodo), APC state chairman, Mr Igini threatened that the APC will never win election in Akwa Ibom state no matter how big and massive our total rally is. He told me he would ensure the PDP is declared winner, no matter what happens”

    Hear him again “we have evidence that Igini has handed over uncollected permanent voters cards (PVCs) to officials of Akwa Ibom State Government House, Uyo. These uncollected PVCs are in thousands”

    In other climes, a thorough investigation of such petition would have been carried out, but mum was the word from the Mahmud Yakubu-led INEC.

    Even when other political parties under the aegis of forum all registered political parties in Akwa Ibom State through their chairman, Kingsley Akaiso, corroborated the APC Chairman’s claims, INEC refused to budge.

    Akaiso who is also the chairman, Fresh Party said “in the political process in the state, INEC has portrayed unbridled partisanship through the selection of its ad-hoc staff, some of whom are drawn from the employees of the commission, contrary to extant practices and institutions requirement.

    “Through connivance with the state government, all the ad-hoc staff of the commission is made up of loyal members and supporters of PDP.

    “In addition, the commission has acted as though it were part of the Government House, Uyo. Inspite of our representations to the head office of the commission in Abuja, nothing has been done to allay our concern that INEC office in Akwa Ibom state is not a fair umpire and cannot deliver a free, fair and transparent election because it is partisan and in bed with the ruling PDP government in the state. This anarchy must be looked into”

    With the pictures painted, it was therefore unsurprising that Akwa Ibom state recorded the least voter turnout in her recent history as only about 600,000 turned out to vote despite the fact that no fewer than two million PVCs were collected.

    Worse perhaps was the fact that despite wide spread cases of faulty card reader machines in the state, manual voting was the order of the day.

    This was contrary to assurances by INEC that nobody would be allowed to vote if not captured by the card reader.

    No doubt, this gave INEC in the state a window to partner with its allies in the PDP to seize the moment by using the opportunity to their advantage.

    Even after the election, there are panicky measures been employed to cover the tracks in order not to further expose the charade that played out during the elections in the state.

    Already cases of vehicles loaded with thumb printed ballot papers said to have been found in the forests came up and this must be investigated and the culprits brought to book.

    This is the least anyone would expect in view of the fact though APC was declared winner at several collation centres, with such eventually changing in favour of PDP, even as electoral officers of such places were suspended, including that of Ikot Abasi, for no just cause by Igini.

    Even in Obot Akara, home stead of former Akwa Ibom Deputy Governor Chris Ekpeyong where elections could not hold, results of a non-existent election was declared.

    Most annoying were, the vituperations of former Prelate of the Methodist Church, Nigeria, Rev. Sunday Mbang who used to stand up for  what is right and just in the past, but not unexpected in the circumstance.

    This is a sad reminder that the pulpit is no longer a place of grace as merchandise has suddenly taken over the church in these days of yore.

    However, the beauty of it all is that the APC in the state has not embraced violence in any form as a way of fighting the carefully scripted fraud in the name of election.

    That it has toed the constitutional option in its attempts to right the wrongs as provided for in our constitution is a welcome development. This, it must continue to do since whatever has been stolen from the people by the way of their mandate can still be retrieved using the instrumentality of the law.

    The APC, nay the people of Akwa Ibom State must therefore rise to the occasion by seizing the opportunity to retrieve their mandate through legal means instead of resorting to any form of violence.

    Like the famous Poet, Ngugi Wa Thiongo wrote in one of his poems “the raving clouds shall not be long. They shall not be long victorious”

    Umohinyang, social commentator and political analyst wrote in from Lagos.

  • Mistakes INEC must avoid on Saturday

    The postponement of the general elections generated arguments across the country. Now, presidential and National Assembly elections will hold on February 23. Governorship and House of Assembly polls will take place on March 9. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU highlights the mistakes the electoral agency must avoid during the exercise.

    Will the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) get it right on Saturday? Its chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, has been bashed for heightening public expectation before suddenly postponing the anticipated presidential and National Assembly elections last weekend. Will the mistakes and operational challenges that warranted the postponement give way before March 23?

    Transparent election is the collective responsibility of all stakeholders, including party leaders, flag bearers, electoral officers, security agencies and voters. But, INEC has a duty to organise the general elections without compromising ethics and sacrificing the rules of the game. To do the job, the agency was nit starved of funds. Unlike 2015, security chiefs did not cite any emergency challenge that could necessitate a shift. Many had travelled home for the exercise. Observers had started turning in pre-election reports. All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate President Muhammadu Buhari  had gone to his native Daura and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) challenger, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, to Adamawa State for the exercise. The nation was anxious.

    Yakubu, the pilot of the electoral ship of state, said it was sailing to a safe harbour. Suddenly, the wind started blowing. Electoral pirates were also on the prowl. In Anambra, Enugu and Abia states, thugs invaded INEC offices, burning card readers. There were fears that the captain of the ship and the crew may not survive the turbulence. An over-confident chairman was unperturbed. But, six hours to the polls, reality dawned on him that INEC’s capability to conduct a hitch-free exercise had diminished.  The country was enveloped in confusion and anxiety.

    Explaining his predicament to a bewildered nation, Yakubu attributed the poor performance to logistic problems: 4,695 smart card readers burnt in one state, aircraft conveying sensitive materials could not land in Enugu, capital of Enugu State due to bad weather; fire outbreaks had burned materials in Anambra, Abia and Plateau states; vehicle loading materials from Taraba State had broken down, and result sheets meant for Edo were shopped to Rivers State. Put succinctly, INEC was overwhelmed by the constraints. Damage control became impossible.

    Elections are critical to democratic growth and political stability. But, since pre-independence, polls have been a sort of nightmare. The hiccups have been attributed to technical and human errors.

    Previous electoral battles were fought in an atmosphere of strife, rancour and bitterness. At almost 60, factors that shape electioneering in Nigeria include ethnicity and religion. During elections, there is always tension. Many politicians and other stakeholders often perceive election as war. In 1959, 1964, 1965, 1965, 1983, 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015, the electoral commissions have been under attack for alleged flawed polls. Protests have always trailed the periodic contests, with the struggle shifting from the ballot box to the court rooms. Almost three decades after independence, Nigeria has failed to build a sane electoral process.

    Fears are rife that the postponement may dampen public morale, and this may lead to apathy on Saturday. Many have even expressed reservations about the prospect of an improvement within a week. Yakubu, who is on the weighing scale, has reiterated his commitment to a credible process. But, the gap between expectation and reality has ruptured public confidence. Although INEC had four years to prepare for the general elections, many past lapses were repeated.

    The first litmus test was the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) distribution. According to some presidential candidates, the critical exercise was bungled. The scenario created a hollow in the INEC’ scorecard. Owing to the mobilisation and enlightenment campaigns by civil society groups and political parties, many people trooped out for the exercise across the federation.  But, the voter cards have remained elusive for many eligible voters. But, it should also be noted that on many areas, people shunned the cards and INEC was making appeals to them for collection. An anxious nation however, heaved a sigh of relief when the INEC chairman said over 84 million PVCs had been distributed.

    To observers, INEC has not learnt from its past mistakes. In 2011, the commission, led by Prof. Attahiru Jega, had thrown the country into chaos before the exercise was stopped abruptly. Midway into the poll, INEC was inundated with complaints across the six geo-political zones that the exercise had failed. At noon, voting had not started in many locations. Voters started protesting the shoddy arrangements in some states. The voter’s registers in some locations were fake. Many officials did not even report for electoral duty. Where electoral officers were available, they were afraid to kick off the accreditation because security agents were absent. The ill-trained ad hoc staff-the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members-were confused. Following the cancellation and postponement of the poll, the beleaguered nation was back to square one.

    INEC had opportunities to correct some of these mistakes during the scattered governorship elections in Ondo, Anambra, Ekiti and Osun. Instructively, the “odd” elections were scattered, owing to the mistake of INEC under Prof. Maurice Iwu. The first challenge was the Anambra election, which was almost bungled in 2010. During the poll, the commission was under fire.

    However, in 2016, INEC conducted a successful election in Ondo. Also, in Ekiti, there was no cause for alarm. Although the Osun poll was in conclusive, the supplementary poll that followed completed the process.

    INEC under Yakubu has recorded significant improvements. Innovations have been introduced to ensure the sanctity of the ballot box. The commission has also asserted its independence by shunning partiality, unlike when it was an extension of the government in the days of Obasanjo. So far, Yakubu is still perceived as a man of honour and integrity.

    A postponed election, according to analysts, is better than the risk of an inconclusive election. To conduct credible and transparent polls on Saturday, INEC must be weary of its past mistakes and avoid the pitfalls. This is necessary to avoid a fresh crisis of integrity. Indeed, prevention is better than cure.

    INEC must restore public confidence. On Saturday, there should not be lapses. Result sheets must be available. The commission will fail the test of credibility, if its officials report late for the assignment at polling units. Not only should the officials report promptly, they should also show up with the required polling materials. Voters will be disillusioned, if they get to the units and there is no electoral officer on ground to attend to them.

    The most critical material is the voter register. If the names of many voters are omitted from the register, there will be tension on poll day. The implication is that many may be disenfranchised. The early display of the voter register was helpful. Through the verification, complaints by candidates, parties and voters were tackled and errors corrected by the commission before the poll.

    Also, the accreditation hurdle is a recurring decimal. Voters usually raise objections to the late accreditation and voting. Accreditation problem is proportional to the demographic distribution of voters. In densely populated polling units, the exercise may not be completed before 2 pm as stipulated by the law. If the electoral officers report late at their duty posts, the challenge may be compounded.

    The late arrival of polling officers and electoral materials is worrisome. In 2011, many voters returned home without casting their ballot because their names were not found in the voter register. INEC tried to tackle this problem in 2015.

    Unscrupulous electoral officers may also give INEC a bad name. In Anambra, Jega was enraged by the unruly behaviour of some polling officers. He had no alternative than to hand them over to the police for interrogation. Also, after the 2015 polls, Yakubu surrendered erring officials for prosecution. Some of them were convicted.

    There is the need for the electoral body to study and understand the geography of the electoral constituencies. In Taraba, there are voting areas that cannot be reached on time because of the topology. Transportation is challenging. The coastal communities of Ilaje in Ondo State, Ojo and Eti-Osa in Lagos, and Niger Delta creeks require specific preparations. Helicopters and speed boats may be needed to convey polling officers and materials to designated units. In Edo State, a drunkard was once hired as a boat driver and there was a fatal accident.

    Since elections will hold in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, and Persons With Disabilities will participate, the special nature of election in these areas should be considered. If elections will hold in flashpoints like the Northeast where the Boko Haram insurgents are on  rampage, there will be need for special security arrangement

    Elections have become a burden in Nigeria, owing to the combative nature of gladiators who see elections as do-or-die contests. Thuggery and violence are on the increase. How to police the votes is very important. Sometimes, elections are discredited, although the fault cannot be attributed to INEC. The activities of desperate politicians and the misuse of the police may make the contest a sort of war. Already, the atmosphere was tensed. Jega had a policing strategy. The INEC boss said that security agents must be in their uniform to avoid the use of thugs who pose as policemen in mufti to intimidate opponents. This policy was sustained in 2015. The method will be good for the rescheduled polls.

    The greatest challenge is the prevention of rigging by INEC during elections. Thugs and cultists, who are armed with sophisticated weapons beyond the reach of the police, may unleash terror to create panic, molest and scare away voters. They may want to invade polling booths and snatch ballot boxes. Enough policemen should be deployed by the new Inspector-General of Police Adamu Mohammad.

    INEC and security agents should not only be on guard, but on the red alert to avoid the floodgate of litigations that trailed the past electoral foul play.

    INEC must guard against the penchant for doctoring election results by politicians, unpatriotic security agents and electoral officials. A credible election is a panacea for violence. In earlier dispensations, rigging provoked popular revolt.

    Poitical parties may want to take INEC up on its directive that there should be no furher campaign for presidential election between now and Thursday.

    Yakubu has assured Nigerians that all will be well during the rescheduled exercise. He has apologised to the country. He maintained that “the essence of the slight postponement was to enable all the states to have full complement of all the required logistics and back up.”

    Will INEC live up to expectation on Saturday?

  • INEC to recruit 1m ad-hoc staff for 2019

    INEC to recruit 1m ad-hoc staff for 2019

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will be hiring about one million ad hoc staff for the conduct of the 2019 general elections.
    The chairman of the commission, Prof Mahmud Yakubu stated this on Wednesday while briefing members of the Senate committee on INEC.
    Yakubu assured Nigerians that the major the electronic smart card readers will be fully deployed for the elections, stressing that enough hands would be trained on the effective use of the device.
    According to him, about 700 ad hoc staff were engaged for the 2015 general elections.
    He said: “The projected increase in the number of ad- hoc staff to be engaged in the elections by the commission arose from the need to make provisions for adequate manpower for the exercise on a general template and specifically to take care of peculiar needs for that purpose in some polling units across the federation”.

    Assuring the lawmakers of better and effective use of the card readers, Prof Yabuku said: “Controversies and challenges raised by the Smart Card Readers in the 2015 elections were over magnified because the problem was not technological on the part of the device but attitudinal on the part of  the users due to lack of adequate training.

    “Thus, because the problem is more of attitudinal than technological defects, solid steps are being taken by the commission to bring about a robust interface between the machine and those to use them in terms of practical training before the elections”.

    In his remarks, the Senate Committee Chairman on INEC, Senator Suleiman Nazif said the interactive session with INEC would be a continuous exercise before the 2019 general elections
  • INEC, others kick against Political Debate Commission bill

    INEC, others kick against Political Debate Commission bill

    Attempts by the Senate to establish a Nigerian Political Party Debate Commission is being resisted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other stakeholders.

    At a public hearing on the bill on Wednesday, the stakeholders described the envisaged commission as superfluous and diversionary.

    The Senate had in October last year, passed for second reading the bill entitled, “Nigerian Political Debates Commission Bill, 2015, sponsored by Senator Abdulfatai Buhari.

    Senator Buhari had argued that if passed, “the bill would make it mandatory for those seeking election as president, governors, lawmakers and other elective positions, including their running mates, would have to go through a debate, which would be organised by a the commission to be funded by government and headship of which to be appointed by a sitting President”

    However, stakeholders in the electoral process at the public hearing session vehemently opposed the idea of setting up the commission, which they described unnecessary burden on the nation’s resources.

    INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu who was the first to kick against the bill, said although the election debate platform was a welcome development for the deepening of democratic practice, making such a platform to be a full fledge commission to be funded by government will be counterproductive.

    Yabuku said, “The idea of a solid platform for election debate in Nigeria as it is in the United States of America and some other countries of the world is a welcome development for our democracy and electoral processes.

    “But making such platform to be like a statutory commission would not help in achieving the motive behind the lofty idea.

    “To us in INEC, such a platform should be allowed to remain in form of a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) that would be funded by corporate bodies in the land and managed by independent and non-partisan Nigerians with outstanding character and repute”.

    Similarly, the President of the Nigeria Political Science Association, Professor Sam Egwu, also backed the position of the INEC chairman.

    According to him, that the platform for such debate should be independent and not a commission that would be funded by government.

    Egwu added that such a move would not only be counter-productive to the desired goal, but would also rubbish the electoral process.

    The President of the Senate, D. Bukola Saraki in his opening address at the session, stated that law making is an all-encompassing process where input of stakeholders and the public is imperative.

    According to him, the bill, if passed into law, will enable the Nigerian electorate vote for the best candidates at the various elections.

  • INEC urges residents to collect unclaimed PVCs.  

    INEC urges residents to collect unclaimed PVCs.  

    The Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC)in Ondo state has urged those who registered in 2016 Continuous Voters Registration(CVR) and the ones preceeding it without claiming the Permanent Voter Cards(PVCs to come and collect them at INEC offices in the 18 local government areas of the state.

    About 380,000 cards yet to be collected are in the custody of INEC in the state.

    Speaking in Akure,the INEC State Administrative Secretary,Alhaji Kabir Omosanya noted that the step was the only prerequisite to exercise their franchise during elections.

    According to him,a credible register of voters is the bedrock of free,fair and credible elections,stressing that international best practices require that such a register must continuously be updated to enhance its quality and making electoral process more inclusive.

    Omosanya hailed the present regime of Prof Mahmud Yakubu at the INEC for ensuring that a vital statutory injunction is fulfilled.

    He noted that Section 9 to 12 of the 2010 Electoral Act(As Amended)directs INEC to compile,maintain and update on continuous basis a National Register of Voters.

    However the INEC officer observed that all along, the actualization of the statutory injunction has not been realized,stressing that what the Commission did in the past was to organize Voter Registration exercise as it was exigent before every election.

    He said the Voter Registry and Information Communication Technology(ICT)Department have worked out the best modality for the conduct of the exercise nationwide.

    Also,the Supervising National Commissioner for Ondo state,Dr Adekunle Ogunmola said the exercise would be all the year round.

    He charged leaders of political parties across the country to encourage their members to participate in the national assignment.