By Carl Umegboro
Recently, the chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu reiterated his commitment to give the country a credible, free-and-fair elections in the forthcoming polls, and emphatically assured of neutrality to all the political parties. However, the pledge is not different from all the ones made during the previous elections that were marred by intimidations and bias.
INEC Chairman, YakubuMost of the time, people talk the talk but renege to walk the talk. For instance, the crisis rocking the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) presently is traceable to infidelity, repudiating pledges and agreements. So, it is becoming a ‘model’ in the political terrain that words and pledges do not matter. To some politicians, integrity means nothing, and that has been the root-cause of the country’s problems.
At the fourth Abubakar Momoh Memorial Lecture organized in honour
of the erstwhile Director-General of The Electoral Institute (TEI), the late
Prof Abubakar Momoh titled “Electoral Act 2022: Imperatives for political parties
and the 2023 general elections”, the INEC boss said, “Once again, I wish to
assure you that INEC has no preferred candidate. We shall only ensure that all
valid votes count and the winners are decided solely by the voters”. This is
reassuring and we say ‘Amen’.
However,
while giving Prof Yakubu the benefit of the doubt, a horrid incident that
believably, was premeditatedly repeated during the previous general election in
2019 under his watch amid his pledges necessarily must be highlighted. The 2023
general election timetable has been released, campaigns commenced and political
parties expected to vibrate till the time limit. But an episode that is
becoming worrisome is the ‘mysterious’ postponements of polls.
For
emphasis, in 2015, the agency then led by Prof Attahiru Jega during Goodluck
Jonathan’s administration of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), under the
guise of “intelligence report” postponed the election after political parties
had exhausted their resources and strength on campaign, waiting for the ballot.
The postponement was announced a week prior to the poll, precisely on 7
February 2015. By this action, political parties were muddled as they struggled
to effectively participate in the new date of the election.
Again,
in 2019, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu-led INEC under the President Muhammadu Buhari-led
ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) government repeated it in a tougher
manner. The umpire in the early hours of the election day, precisely at 2.30am
on Saturday 16 February, 2019 after a façade-stretched stakeholders meeting
postponed the poll under the guise of “logistics and operational problems”.
As
the table turned and it was repeated under the APC-ruling government, PDP went
mute, conceivably due to a guilty conscience. This attests that ‘he who pays
the piper dictates the tone’. Sadly, every political party would always enlist
a ‘fight against corruption’ in the manifesto, but by actions, promotes
corruption with impunity.
The absurdity must not continue. Sensibly, if the agency has any reason
to alter its timetable, it must be when the campaign is active and not after
political parties had exhausted their resources and closed campaigns according
to the timetable. A soothsayer is not needed to know that any ruling party has
overwhelming influence on the umpire irrespective of ‘independent’ attached to
it.
Nonetheless,
for the umpire to connive with any ruling party to leave the opposition parties
relying on the timetable, exhaust their resources and then suddenly postpone
the poll is malicious and should destroy the credibility of a poll. From
observations during the two separate postponements, members of the respective
ruling party knew ahead, bragged and anticipated it and on account, reserved
its resources for the real day unlike other political parties that even
mobilized party agents which points to a biased umpire. In fact, the 2019
incident postponed about 5 hours to the election was most painful as other
political parties had mobilized, disbursed everything not knowing the poll wouldn’t
hold as scheduled.
The forthcoming election must be different. By the unprecedented
masses’ overwhelming interest in the processes, the umpire must not create a
space for any mischief. If the polls must be postponed, it must be at least
weeks ahead of the date, and not to repeat the schemes like the disgusting
previous postponement that was announced after many people had travelled,
arrived at their designated registration areas for the poll which certainly
affected those that obtained permission from places of work, and therefore
couldn’t travel again. Supporters of the opposition parties unaware of the
script mostly received the uppercut. So, the professed, pledged neutrality must
manifest by deeds.
Of
course, the financial implications alone inarguably hindered many voters from
travelling the second time, hence they didn’t vote. Such scripts usually
orchestrated from the ruling party must not repeat itself so that voters can
exercise their franchise accordingly. The date of the elections must be
authenticated weeks ahead of the polls to enable political parties and
electorates to prepare accordingly, and not to frustrate them.
Legitimately,
every registered voter must be given an opportunity to exercise franchise
considering that to deprive registered voters their right to vote is a weighty
oversight in any democracy. Election irregularity comes in diverse ways, and
not necessarily by fake figures. To encumber, frustrate voters is equally an
irregularity.
Convincingly, if the umpire would allow the game played according
to the rules without any form of manipulation as witnessed over the years,
major part of the problems facing the country will be nearing solutions as it
will give people the opportunity to decide, elect capable, credible minds to
lead them henceforth, and not desperadoes that arrogantly claim it is their
birthright.
The
masses are eager, ready to choose their leaders this time but the challenge is
INEC’s true strength alongside other state-actors for a free-and-fair ballot.
The Electoral Act has improved, funds provided accordingly, and peoples’
interest through the updated registrations also grew, but will INEC flawlessly
deliver? Thus, INEC must shun, resist any form of conspiracy theory.
*Umegboro is a public affairs analyst ((umegborocarl@gmail.com)
No comments:
Post a Comment