Of Venezuelan election, INEC and genuflection of decampees

The election in Venezuela last Sunday, though in faraway South America, was an example of what an election should not be. It elicited wild protests. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has a date with history on September 26 in Edo State. Edo must not be on the road to Venezuela! Converts from Governor Hope Uzodinma-led ‘political evangelisation’ in his part of the country are trickling into the ruling party and genuflecting before the President.

The shambolic election in Venezuela

It is difficult to state whether it is Nigeria that is copying Venezuela in staging shambolic elections or the other way round.

The 2024 Venezuelan presidential election last Sunday was simply a sham. Some citizens claimed that they were prevented from exercising their franchise. Many stood for several hours before they were allowed to vote.

Some Venezuelans in Bogota, Columbia, where they had fled to as a result of inclement political and economic weather, told Al Jazeera that they were not optimistic of a free and fair exercise, and they emphatically said that the result of the election would not be credible.

“The economy has been in tatters as a result of anti-democratic governance, high level corruption and mismanagement of the economy.”

True to their prediction, Nicolas Maduro was eventually declared the winner. President Maduro has been in the saddle for eleven years since 2013, and with the new mandate of another six years, he is going to be in charge for 17 straight years.

His announcement as the winner of the Sunday election sparked violence. Many citizens emptied in the streets and the main opposition challenger, 74-year-old Edmundo Gonzalez, insists he was robbed of victory.

Protesters insist Maduro did not win the election. Some international observers have also said that the vote was undemocratic.

Maduro was accused of manipulating the electoral process to his own advantage. Electoral irregularities- from intimidation and disenfranchisement of voters to improper tabulation of results- were rife.

Venezuela, an oil-rich country, has over the years moved from grace to grass, and from riches to rags. The economy has been in tatters as a result of anti-democratic governance, high level corruption and mismanagement of the economy.

Over the years, the government has used “socialist,” “populist” or “hyper-populist” policies to hold on to power to the disadvantage of the economic prosperity of the country.

The economic crisis which reared its ugly head in the regime of Hugo Chavez, worsened in Maduro’s dispensation with the following offspring- hyperinflation, starvation, diseases and infirmities, escalating crime and high mortality rates- which have since given birth to massive emigration of citizens from the country.

Despite the sorry state of the country, Maduro is not yet done with Venezuela.

Perhaps, he wants to supervise singers chant the dirge for the nation and personally sing the nunc dimittis for the South American country of about 28.3 million people, according to the 2022 figure.

Read also: Stemming political tension in Edo ahead of governorship election

INEC: Before the trip to Edo

Since the Supreme Court judgment that granted fiscal autonomy to the local governments in Nigeria, one of the major areas of concern has bordered on the conduct of the council elections going forward.

It is not yet clear whether the conduct of local government elections would continue to be the responsibility of states’ independent electoral commissions (SIECs) or the parent body, INEC.

Many Nigerians have, however, argued that there may not be a significant difference between any election conducted by the INEC and SIECs as both agencies are malleable and can be manipulated by politicians.

The INEC has a date with the people of Edo State on September 29, 2024. Many believe that the next four years of Edo State are effectively on the Commission’s thumb and not to be determined by voters, unfortunately.

What the Commission does or fails to do will determine the fate of Edo people.

In recent times, INEC has not acquitted itself creditably in the estimation of many Nigerians.
The lowest it sank was the conduct of the 2023 general election which many believe was not professionally handled by the electoral body.

Today, many Nigerians are still shocked that Mahmood Yakubu, INEC chairman, is still sitting comfortably in his office when he should have thrown in the towel following the conflagration that arose over the conduct of the 2023 general election.
The off-cycle gubernatorial elections in Kogi, Imo and Bayelsa states in November last year were not superb either.

Now, all eyes are on Yakubu and his team to show more capacity and be professional in the conduct of the gubernatorial election in Edo State.
Already, there is tension in the state as the leading parties are hurling blames at each other over violence.

The election day may be tense following the build-up. The coming election is a battle of wits between the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

While the PDP would want to retain the seat, the APC also would want to dislodge the incumbent, to make a statement.

INEC must, therefore, not lean towards any group to avoid exacerbating the tension.

The conduct of the INEC in elections since 2023 has heightened the trust deficit for the Commission. As currently constituted, many Nigerians are looking at the INEC with the tail of their eyes and have not seen anything to convince them that the Commission is an impartial arbiter nor has it improved on its past ignoble records.

The ball is perfectly placed in the court of INEC; so, it has an ample opportunity to redeem its plummeting image.

Read also: Singapore’s rigorous leadership selection process holds lessons for Nigeria

The genuflecting decampees

Politics in Nigeria is largely personal. The good of others and of the country is secondary. According to Dan Ulasi, a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), “No saint goes into politics.”

Over the years, Nigerians have witnessed politicians jump from one political party to another just to feather their nests.

In the recent past months, Nigerians have seen high profile politicians dump their parties and move into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Nigeria, which has over 18 political parties, is almost a one-party state today. Those who were expected to provide a strong opposition and galvanise robust alternative narrative are dumping their parties and singing the ruling party’s praise for stomach’s sake.

Today, while the PDP is “sleep-walking” (apologies to Dan Ulasi), some former “strong” Labour Party (LP) supporters are casting their gaze where the grass is greener, other parties are either in coma or already in the morgue.

The lack of ideology has prevented the country from having powerful opposition. Many politicians operate on the basis of whatever they can get from their party. Once their party fails to win an election, they “port” to the party that won. They operate on the principle of “AGIP” (Any Government In Power), so far as their personal needs are guaranteed.

The horror is that there are some politicians in Nigeria that have become everything in the country courtesy of their former parties; they were governors, Senate Presidents, Speakers, Ministers, among others, but, today, they have moved to the ruling party.

They have dumped the party that gave them the opportunity to climb to the heights that they never imagined, in terms of position, wealth and influence.

These days, each time they decamp, they are led to the seat of power, like common captives, to meet and genuflect before the President. There, they sing like a canary, how they were blind and now they can see and how they were lost but now are found, just to have some crumbs from the government’s table!

They even go there to badmouth the very party that made them relevant in the country. Where is personal dignity or self-worth or esteem? Where is the love of country? Must politics be that of the stomach, even among the elite?