With the 2023 general election near completion, except in some states where the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared elections inconclusive, stakeholders are already previewing the general conduct of the polls, lessons to be learned and areas where the country electoral law needs amendment to give credibility to future polls.
The general conduct of the 2023 polls has shown that the current system is far from ideal democracy, and that a review of the electoral law is inevitable to strengthen democracy in the country.
For many Nigerians and stakeholders the 2023 general election fell short of their expectations.
In the run up to the 2023 polls, across the country and beyond expectation was high that after decades of controversial and flawed polls, since the advent of the current fourth republic in 1999, which had drastically affected public confidence in the country’s electoral system and led to wide apathy among eligible voters in the country the situation would be different in the 2023 polls.
However, the reverse was the case, in many states; the will of the people did not prevail as there was organised violence, suppression and intimidation of voters in opposition strongholds by the ruling parties.
Particularly bad was the conduct of the February’s 25 presidential and National Assembly elections in which INEC failed to transmit election results electronically in line with the Electoral Act and promises made to Nigerians and stakeholders.
Several local and international observers faulted the commission describing the election as failing to meet expected standards.
A civil rights organisation, Yiaga Africa said that INEC missed a golden opportunity in the history of conducting elections.
Yiaga Africa also faulted the presidential election results in Rivers and Imo States, declaring that the results were inconsistent with its observations.
Presently, across the state, there are litigations of all kinds from candidates, including the two main leading opposition candidates, peter obi of the Labour Party (LP) and Atiku Abubakar of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) challenging the outcome of the elections which many refers as the worst in the history of Nigeria.
Also, there are all kinds of allegations trailing the conduct of the polls, by INEC chairman, Mahmood Yakubu with some people calling for his resignation and arrest.
Most of the political parties have scored the electoral umpire and the security agencies low for failing to conduct the election in line with INEC’s guideline and for setting aside the 2022 Electoral Act.
They also faulted the security agencies for failing to check the excesses of political thugs alleged to be loyal to ruling parties across the country.
Prior to the conduct of the 2023 polls, a major amendment to the country’s electoral Act, raised expectations among Nigerians that the 2023 polls would be a fundamental shift from the history of flawed polls which had characterised the nation’s electoral process.
The amendment gave way for the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), through which election results can be transmitted electronically in the polling units with the aid of IREV after the announcement of results.
The change was greeted with enthusiasm and it was seen in the euphoria in the huge turnout by Nigerians, especially among the youths in the one year long, Continuous Voters Registration Exercise (CVR), where they would register and get their Permanent Voters Card (PVCs).
However, INEC data show that only 24.97 million voted in the February 25 poll, which is equivalent to 29 percent.
With that number, it means that it is less than three in ten Nigerians who had PVCs turned up at the poll on February 25, making it the lowest voter turnout since the return to democratic rule in 1999.
Meanwhile, stakeholders and experts have said that the conduct of the 2023 polls highlighted the glaring need for urgent changes in the Electoral Act going forward.
Tunde Daramola, former member of the national working committee of the PDP current system should give way to an open ballot system.
Daramola noted that the future for Nigeria’s democracy is option A4, stressing that it was less expensive.
According to him, “From what I can see everybody has a price and I am sorry to say that the academics have also been corrupted.
“They are as bad as the politicians and judiciary. The academics are now joining to do the bidding of politicians.
“Personally, the future for our democracy is option A4, if we have this maybe it would reduce violence and mayhem in the system. We had option A4 under Ibrahim Babangida in 1993 and it was a success. Let’s de-emphasize the issue of funding INEC.
“The BVAS can still be used for the Option A4, the same way you are counting people now, but you count and store it, give to the agents and transmit through IREV”.
Parts of the suggestions are reforms of INEC, in terms of appointment of Resident Electoral Officers (REC) and Collation Officers in the local government areas.
Also, experts say that the current setup of INEC is taxed with so many responsibilities on its shoulders and as such, they are calling for unbundling of the commission into several agencies to be headed by a professional.
They suggested that Nigeria should involve professionals in all phases of election management going forward.
“Most elections in Nigeria have always been affected by logistics challenges, either material arrived late or some areas don’t even get them.
“Why can’t we have an agency under INEC, headed by a professional in that area that handles the distribution of logistics on election day. The present INEC is too busy doing so many things that is why we have some of these problems, “
Some stakeholders have also said that election management is a significant aspect of the political process and so, it will be managed and handled by individuals who see the job at hand as a serious one that should not be toyed with.
“Most RECs are politicians and so this usually messed up both the process and the system,” Kunle Okunade, political scientist and scholar said.
He further noted there is the need to create in the Electoral Act statutory responsibilities for the security agencies pre, during and post-election
According to him “there is need to create in the Electoral Act statutory responsibilities for the security agencies pre, during and post-election.
“The security agencies are often political and partisan in any of the country’s election cycles. This was evident in the 2023 general elections.
“The agencies, especially the police, see themselves as the arm of the ruling party in any environment they find themselves in; this belief and perspective is dangerous to our developing democracy.
A chieftain of the Labour Party, Bunmi Odesanya said the conduct of the 2023 polls shows that the country still has a lot to do in strengthening democracy, while suggesting that all elections should be held in one day.
She also canvassed for the change in modalities for the appointment of the INEC chairman.
“Hold all elections on the same day. If Nigerians can vote for presidential and National Assembly members on the same day, voting for the gubernatorial and State Assembly members on the same day does not make a difference.
“This will save costs and help solve logistics challenges. It will also stop the anxiety of waiting another 2-3 weeks for another election while also checkmating politicians from manipulating the process.
She, however, kicked against going back to the option ballot system as cavassed by some Nigerians, noting that it may escalate electoral violence and intimidation of voters.
“Going back to the option A4 voting system will further escalate violence and voter intimidation. This is because people queuing behind their preferred candidate/party to vote will be marked for intimidation, harassment and attacks by the opposition”, she added.
Similarly, some stakeholders have also canvassed for the criminalisation of electoral offence in such a way that all electoral offenders and their sponsors no matter how highly placed are arraigned and prosecuted within a few days.
They pointed out that impunity has aided electoral violence in Nigeria.
Tope Musowo, founder of Voters Concern Nextwork, said the country was not doing enough to check electoral violence, adding that there was the need to check indiscriminate cancelling of polling units results across Nigeria.
“The result of polling units where there is violence should be rescheduled as many times until the election is conducted under a peaceful atmosphere.
“INEC should stop cancelling results of polling units where there is violence because it has become a rigging strategy to disrupt elections in the stronghold of the opposition party so the results wouldn’t count.
“Also, I will recommend that all issues raised at all stages of the electoral process are addressed before the final stage.
“Election is a process which starts with accreditation, to voting, counting of votes and transmission of results to the central server, then the collation of results and the final stage, which is announcement of the final result and the winner.
“INEC must not rush to announce a winner until all issues raised at any of these stages have been addressed. INEC should also ensure that nobody with a proof of political affiliation is appointed as a Commissioner or REC.
“INEC should stop paying lip service to monitoring of campaign funds. Also, spokesmen of any political party who run foul of the electoral act by making inciting statements should be made to face the full wrath of the law”.
Tunde Daramola, politician and former member of the national working committee of the PDP said the current system should give way to an open ballot system.
Daramola noted that the future for Nigeria’s democracy is option A4, stressing that it was less expensive.
“From what I can see everybody has a price and I am sorry to say that the academics have also been corrupted. They are as bad as the politicians and judiciary. The academics are now joining to do the bidding of politicians.
“We had option A4 under Ibrahim Babangida in 1993 and it was a success. Let’s de-emphasize the issue of funding INEC.
“The BVAS can still be used for the Option A4, the same way you are counting people now, but you count and store it, give to the agents and transmit through IREV”, he said.
But national leader of Afenifere Renewal, Wale Oshun said the introduction of BVAS has brought sanity to the electoral process compared to what was obtained in the past.
“We used to have under age voters, especially in Northern Nigeria; we used BVAS in checking them in these elections. I think we have made progress from where we are coming.
“More amendments are needed I know, but may be in personnel training and early arrival of election materials on election day,” Osun said.
