Postponement:Give INEC benefit of doubt

There is no bigger trending news in the country other than the provocative postponement of last Saturday’s national elections till the coming Saturday.  The Independent National Electoral Commission has raised our hopes to high heavens only to dash it at the very last minute. Outrage, vituperations and tongue-lashing rented the air since last Saturday. People are justifiably angry over the disappointing false start to a long awaited exercise.

This newspaper was very apt when it said in yesterday’s editorial that “The cost to the economy and the implications to our political development and global reputation are enormous. One estimate puts the loss to Gross Domestic Product at N7.73 trillion for Saturday alone, which will be repeated every Election Day when the country is locked down. An economist, Bismark Rewane, calculates a further “opportunity cost” loss of $4 billion to $5 billion for businesses.  Companies, individuals and groups have been put in disarray, just as social activities like weddings, funerals, sporting events, travels and educational programmes have been disrupted. Voter apathy is likely to take a front row seat with this debacle and many who spent much to travel to where they had registered to vote, either by deliberate choice or because they changed residence, will be effectively disenfranchised. Nigeria’s global notoriety as a dysfunctional state has plunged lower: yet, war-wracked Iraq, Afghanistan and Colombia conduct successful elections.”

Well, for everything in life, there is time and season. Let us put the time for lamentation behind us and be determined to support INEC to get things right next Saturday. Let us give the electoral management body benefit of doubt to self-correct. What is expected of all and sundry is to oversight INEC and be sure the six point agenda set for itself are all carried out. It will be recalled that at the meeting with election stakeholders comprising the political parties and candidates, media, civil society organisations and security agents last Saturday afternoon, INEC chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu said:

“In the next few days, the Commission will work on the basis of the following plan: 1. Completion/confirmation of deployment of materials, Monday 18th February 2019, 2. Configuration of the Smart Card Readers; Sunday 17th -Thursday 21st February 2019 3. Receipt and Deployment of sensitive materials to LGAs, Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21st February 2019. 3. Receipt and Deployment of sensitive materials to LGAs Wednesday 20th and Thursday 21st February 2019 4. Refresher training for ad- hoc staff; Thursday 21st February 2019 5. Deployment of personnel to RACs Friday 22nd of February 2019 6. Election Day Saturday 23rd February 2019.”

Let us follow through with this plan and ensure that INEC succeeds in conducting credible polls on the next rescheduled dates. Enough of conspiracy theories and fake news being bandied about. President Muhammadu Buhari while speaking at his party’s caucus meeting on February 18, 2019 had promised to probe the remote and immediate causes of circumstances that led to the international embarrassment of postponing the polls. Of course, even without the president saying so, there is always a post-election audit after the conduct of every election.

Am happy the Commission reversed itself on the ban on campaigns during the one week postponed period . It shows that while it erred, it’s willing to make adjustments. It is an established fact, supported by Section 99 of the Electoral Act 2010, as amended that campaigns are to end 24 hours to the Election Day.

The Nigerian judiciary must also assist INEC by not giving court judgments, some of which are conflicting, too close to elections. As INEC Chairman observed in his last Saturday’s speech at the stakeholders meeting: “the Commission has been sued or joined in over 640 court cases arising from the nomination of candidates. As of today (last Saturday), there are four different court orders against the Commission on whether to add or drop candidates. The net effect of these is that there is usually roughly a one-month window for the Commission to print ballot papers and result sheets and either fly or transport them to several destinations until they finally get to each polling unit.” Imagine, barely one month to print 421.7 million ballot papers for six scheduled elections, as well as 13.6 million leaves of result forms for the Presidential election alone!

I do know that the success of the last constitutional amendment has put a timeframe for pre-election matters. Pre-election disputes are now to be filed 14 days after the event has occurred be it disputes over party primaries or nomination process. Trial courts have 180 days to adjudicate on the case while Court of Appeal and Supreme Courts have 60 days each. This is a good development unlike in the past when there is no time limit to pre-election matters. Be that as it may, INEC cannot wait for over 240 days when all of these matters would have been disposed off in courts to now go to print ballot papers and result sheets. My reading of Section 34 of the Electoral Act, as amended is that INEC actually has not more than 30 days to the election to do this. As I have said on Nigerian Television Authority magazine programme “Good Morning Nigeria” on Monday, February 18, 2019, alternative choice for INEC is to put all political parties who have signified to contest election on the ballot while the court process is on to settle who the right candidates of the political party are.

Additionally, as we prepare for next Saturday’s polls, arsonist should desist from torching INEC’s offices and properties. Aside the burning down of some of INEC’s offices in Abia, Plateau and Anambra States, last Saturday, 11 INEC vehicles meant for the coming general elections was burnt in Obot Akara Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Two deaths were also reported in the unfortunate incident.

And talking about electoral violence, an organization known as Gatefield with the support of the Open Society Initiative for West Africa reported that “The lead up to the 2019 Elections have currently claimed an updated number of 181 persons from October 10, 2018 to 15th February 2019.” According to the organisation, “This data could be increased by 11 or 66 depending on verification of the lives lost in Kajuru, Kaduna State.” Political actors should therefore stop these killings as well as hate speeches which have been very pronounced during the electioneering campaigns despite signing two peace accords.

On a final note, electorate owes it a national duty to come out en masse to exercise their franchise on the Election Day. With election being very competitive, it is not impossible that your vote will make the difference between the winner and the loser next Saturday. So, vote wisely!