2019 Presidential election: Many voters came, saw, but lack understanding

Not even a postponement could dampen Nigeria’s spirit as massive voter turn-out was recorded in several polling units across the country for the rescheduled Presidential and National assembly elections on February 23, only many who came out lacked requisite knowledge about the voting process.

Thousands of voters were seen scrambling to understand the voting procedure and what each box with different colour cover represented. For example, at Ward 005 in Garki, Abuja, our correspondent learnt that INEC staff were unwilling to provide education on the process which could be attributed to late arrival and quick preparation to set up.

A businessman who simply gave his name as Usman, based in Abuja, who was able to complete his vote with the help of media agents expressed disappointment as he had to stand for quite a long time with the ballot papers but did not know what to do.

“Why can’t anyone tell us what to do, they want us to make fool of ourselves first, if the INEC officials are not ready they should go to their houses, let those that are ready do the job,” he said.

Juliana Onyemma, said: “We should have people here to tell us what to do, I didn’t know how to thumb print or which box to drop the papers if not for these media people that helped me, it is not good enough”.

But the ballot boxes have all been marked and ballot papers colour-coded to signify the right procedure.

However, in many polling units monitored across the country, INEC officials were seen providing voter education even after displaying boxes clearly marked for the positions being contested – President, Senate and House of Representatives.

The box with the red lid is where ballot papers for presidential election would be deposited, the black for senate and green for House of Representatives. The ballot papers that were issued also have the respective colours yet an ad-hoc staff at a polling unit in Shomolu, Lagos said it was the second time that day, he was explaining this to voters.

Some voters also showed up at the wrong polling units and were turned away and for many others, the simple process of authenticating their Permanent Voter Cards through the card readers proved difficult for the INEC ad-hoc staff as many could not provide coherent answers.

But the risk for high volume of invalid votes heightens in an election occurring in a country where 60 million people are said to be illiterate. Adamu Adamu, Nigeria’s Minister of Education in 2017 at the opening of the 2017 Annual Education Conference in Abuja said some 60 million Nigerians, or 30 percent of the population, cannot read or write.

This low literacy level in Nigeria has traditionally impeded electoral process in the country creating voter apathy and making it easy for millions to be exploited by politicians who persuade them to sell their votes for pittance.

In the 2011 presidential elections, 1.2million votes out of the 39.4million total votes cast were declared invalid. This is almost half of the votes with which the incumbent defeated former President Goodluck Jonathan.

INEC officials prior to election try to provide voter education but the efforts are merely cosmetic and never reach large swaths of people, in semi urban and rural areas where mass illiteracy thrives.

Abuonum Ufenne, the INEC’s Electoral Officer in Omu-Aran at a recent workshop described void votes as when a voter thump prints on a party’s logo instead of the box provided, thump prints in an unclear manner and casting a blank ballot paper.

Votes are also voided when voters smear ballot papers with ink or squeeze them, or even thump print in a manner that makes voters’ decision unclear as well as writing or signing on a ballot paper.

Unlike in previous elections, where voters first get accredited and return to cast their vote, in this election, voting proceeded immediately after accreditation and long delays were reported in many polling units across the nation during accreditation because of low literacy level of voters.

ISAAC ANYAOGU & CYNTHIA EGBOBOH