• Friday, March 29, 2024
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BusinessDay

How faulty electoral process hampers Nigeria’s democratic growth

elections

Last Saturday, June 12, Nigeria marked twenty-two years of uninterrupted democratic rule.

Since the year 2000,Democracy Day in Nigeria has been celebrated on May 29, until when President Muhammadu Buhari pronounced June 12 of every year as the new Democracy Day.

June 12 was the day Moshood Kashimawo Abiola (MKO) presumably won the presidential election.

Abiola, however, died on July 7, 1998 after the late military ruler, Sani Abachahad detained him on charges of alleged treason.

Before then, several military rulers had ruled Nigeria in the previous 15 years.

For many Nigerians, the day (June 12) is symbolic as it signifies a day of freedom, a day when the country held an election that was adjudged the freest and fairest in the country’s history.

Since the birth of the Fourth Republic in 1999, Nigeria’s democracy has had its ups and downs.

Even though there were high expectations among the citizenry in 1999 that democracy would bring succour, the much-desired transformation and responsive leadership, more than two decades after those expectations appear to have turned to a mirage.

Perhaps, the question on the lips of Nigerians now is to what extent their lives have been positively impacted in the last 22 years in view of the prevailing state of the economy, spate of insecurity, high unemployment and corruption, among others?

It is, however, instructive to note that a major significance of the June 12 election is that it was an election where the people’s will prevailed.

Nigerians’ votes counted, while the electoral empire stood with their mandate until a dictator chose to truncate that process.

Ironically, unlike the June 12, 1993 election, successive elections conducted in Nigeria since 1999 have been marred by one controversy or the other.

Election in a democracy is very important because it is the medium through which the expression of the people is shown via legitimacy and leadership succession.

The electoral process in the country has been seriously undermined in the last two decades, while the result of elections is now determined by godfathers and perhaps, the weight of a candidate’s purse.

Presently, elections are a do-or-die affair and are marred by violence, legitimacy crises, corruption, vote buying, and several other vices. These have hindered credible candidates from winning elections and scared away those with genuine intention to serve the country.

Shortly after assuming office in 2007, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, the late president, admitted that the election that brought him into office was manipulated and riddled with fraud.

He had promised to carry out reforms of the electoral system to restore confidence among Nigerians. Unfortunately, Yar’ Adua did not live to fulfil his promise.

Since then, successive presidential elections conducted in Nigeria in 2011, 2015 and 2019 have also been the same and did not satisfy the quest for democratic governance in the country, ending in dispute and condemnation, globally.

Such is the situation now that every election case is taken to Court,arising from the lack of confidence in the electoral umpire and the fraudulent manner elections are being conducted.

In recent years, there have been increased concerns among stakeholders over the overwhelming role of the Court in determining election outcomes rather than the electorate in Nigeria.

This was noticed after the 2019 general election where record from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) shows that there have been more election cases in Court resulting from 2019 than any period since 1999.

“To every democracy, elections are sacrosanct and represent the pillar of the people’s hope for good governance and justice. What this therefore, means is that a democracy devoid of free, fairness, and proper electoral processes and structure is nothing short of a Pseudo Democracy,” Kehinde Kayode, political analyst, said.

According to Kayode, “For the Nigerian state, what we have in reality is not democracy but a prototype of a killed democracy. Hardly during elections would you witness a violent-free and well-conducted process without victimisation of the electorate or electoral personnel.”

There is the general agreement among stakeholders that the nation’s electoral system has hindered democratic growth and needs an urgent overhaul. Observers say if government must deliver the needed governance, a major change was also urgently needed.

The continued delay in passing of the amended Electoral Act by the National Assembly has been a concern to stakeholders in recent months. They say that the passing of the Act would facilitate inclusiveness and openness in elections and significantly inspire citizens’ trust in democracy.

A Similar view was shared by a politician and political commentator, Adelaja Adeoye who charged President Muhammadu Buhari, to save the nation’s democracy by making sure that he leaves a legacy, while the amended Electoral Act should be in place timely enough to enable the INEC conduct the 2023.

According to him, “The electoral system has greatly hampered the Nigerian Democracy in a number of ways; except we put in an urgent effort in changing the norms, we shall continue to remainlike a dog tied with chain to a tree, and food being put some kilometers away, with desire to eat but has been barred by the chain.

“Nigerian leaders and all relevant stakeholders must make a deliberate effort, especially the National Assembly, by amending the Electoral Act, and transmitting the same for the President’s assent. For instance, the issue of card readers, electronic transmission of results, electronic votes and other processes that will frustrate irregularities in the conduct of our elections must be quickly put in place before 2023 elections.”

Adeoye further said: “We have about two years to go, the President should act now, and not wait until the last hours before giving another excuse why the electoral bill won’t be signed into law.

“It is only when our democracy is allowed to thrive before we can have a better country, because the system will stop producing weak men, and men with no idea to support the current trend, the economy and the yearning of its diverse population. It is only when credible candidates are allowed to be at the helm of affairs and those who are truly ready to lead that the country can work for all, so there is a need to urgently work on our elections”.

LanreArogundade, director, International Press Centre (IPIC), said the existing electoral framework does not capture the wishes of Nigerians and serves only the interest of the few.

“There’s no doubt that over the last two decades of uninterrupted civil rule, there is still a deep yearning for reforms that can significantly inspire citizens’ trust in democracy,” Arogundade said.

According to him, “Nigerians deserve that the elected representatives readily respond to the needs of the people and grant the request for a new electoral law that genuinely captures the wishes of the people. This delay in concluding the process serves as a reminder of the failed process in 2018 and the opportunity lost to consolidate Nigeria’s democracy in 2019”.

Perhaps, as part of the way to solve the problems, increase inclusion and check voters’ apathy, INEC last week announced the creation of 56,872 Polling Units (PUs) across Nigeria.

With the creation of the new PUs, the commission’s chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, said Nigeria now has 176,846 full-fledged polling units against its initial 119,974 PUs in the states and Abuja.

He also announced that a total number of 749polling units were removed from inappropriate places.

“After wide ranging consultations with stakeholders and fieldwork by our officials, the 56,872 Voting Points and Voting Point Settlements were converted and added to the existing 119,974 Polling Units,” Yakubu said.