The large-scale violence and irregularities which characterised last Saturday’s re-run elections held in 28 constituencies in 11 states across Nigeria again brought to the fore the increasing agitation for a holistic electoral reforms and the amendment of the 2010 Electoral Act to, among other things, accommodate electronic voting.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had rejected the results of the re-run elections in some states and alleged that its officials were abducted and forced to compromise the processes.
The commission particularly mentioned the incident in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State where several of its officials were said to have been forcefully abducted and diverted to an undesignated location where they were forced, under duress, to manipulate the election results in the Local Government Area.
The election was, however, said to be marred by low turnout of voters at the LGA, especially in Ukana, the Minister of Niger-Delta Affairs, Godwill Akpabio’s ward.
It must be said that the problems which characterised the re-run elections are not new, neither were they surprising, considering the fact that recent elections in Nigeria had followed the ugly pattern.
Just last November, the Kogi and Bayelsa States’ off-season gubernatorial and the run-off senatorial elections were marred by violence and intimidation of voters, mainly between the supporters of the nation’s two largest political parties, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In the elections, several people were killed. In Kogi State in particular, the violence was widespread between supporters of the PDP and the APC, and reports had it that armed men drove to a polling unit and opened fire on people.
Cases were widespread of fake policemen who dressed in SARS uniform and armed touts that disrupted voting and snatched ballot boxes in units where their candidates were losing.
Political thugs moved about freely, dispensing fury to political opponents of those who hired them. Acheju Abuh, the Women Leader of Wada Aro Campaign Council, Ochadamu Ward, was said to have been burnt alive in her home town by alleged jubilant supporters and thugs said to be celebrating their party’s victory.
Similarly, large scale violence was noticed in Bayelsa State where armed touts, allegedly attacked several polling units and disrupted voting exercise, while carting away voting materials in several polling units across the state.
After the conduct of elections in both states, it was alleged that more than 16 people lost their lives from violence that characterised the elections.
Elections in Nigeria have increasing become a do-or-die affair, with politicians desperate to win at all cost.
Similar situation was noticed in the 2019 general election, and the European Union Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) in its final report had said that overall, the elections were marked by severe operational and transparency shortcomings, electoral security problems and low turnout.
The Chief Observer of the EU EOM, Maria Arena, said that the relatively low levels of voter participation, showed the need for fundamental electoral reform.
Overall, the EU EOM fell short of branding the exercise shambolic.
The EU also noted that 150 persons were killed during the elections, saying however, that the numbers were not definitive.
Analysts said that the increasing violence in national elections in Nigeria could be blamed on too much attachment to money and the winner-takes-it-all style of politics. They also noted that the huge salaries and perks of office enjoyed by politicians in a country full of beggars and army of unemployed
Moreover, it is believed that the high scale of electoral violence has been encouraged because of the level of impunity in the system and inability of the security agencies and INEC to punish electoral offenders.
Condemning the violence-ridden elections in recent times, Obinna Chidoka, a member of the House of Representatives, representing Idemili North and South Federal Constituency of Anambra State, said: “I think the APC has crafted and developed a very dangerous template in running elections. I think that is what they have done.”
“If you look at what has happened in Kogi and Bayelsa states, the future of democracy in this country is threatened by this dangerous trend. This dangerous template of trying to win elections at all cost, whether by violence or over-voting, by everything that is out of the norm, out of the books, and that is what has happened in Kogi and Bayelsa states,” Chidoka said.
Wale Ogunade, lawyer and national president of Voters Awareness Initiative said: “The problem is that there is impunity in the system, culprits are honoured rather than made to face the law. It emboldens them to do more; that is the problem we have. Just look at the recent Kogi State election, the way the PDP women leader was burnt to death, nobody was brought to book, and even a chicken cannot be killed like that.
“If care is not taken, the INEC chairman and the RECs would be kidnapped next time; until we imbibe the fear of God and do things with common sense in us, this madness may not stop.
“Part of the problem is that our electoral system is winner-takes-all. When a governor assumed office he do what he likes, and you cannot even reach him to make your suggestions, even ordinary councillor and local government chairman. They live a flamboyance lifestyle and become rich at the determent of the people.”
“What we urgently need now is intense voter education, so that Nigerians would be more conscious of these dangers. The talk about setting up Electoral Offenders and other related offences Commission must be taken seriously,” he further said.
As the country prepares for the Ondo and Edo State gubernatorial elections this year, political observers are of the view that if the country is serious about curbing electoral violence, concrete steps must be taken to punish electoral offenders to serve as a deterrent. They also insist that electronic voting has become a necessity, the time of which has come.
This view was corroborated by Chekwas Okorie, the nation chairman of the United Progressives Party (UPP), who said that effort should be made to strengthen the electoral process and give legal backing to electronic voting as a solution to the current logjam.
“The electoral offenders and related offences commission would help, but I am more interested in prevention rather than punishment. Those who do not want to obey the law can still be punished, but I think electronic voting is the way forward.
“This would help eliminate all these problems, and the rate of politicians taking case to electoral petition tribunal and to the court would reduce. What is happening is that the courts are the ones determining who rules the people because of our flawed elections,” Okorie said.
According to him, “Our party made this recommendation in 2012 to the National Assembly, the then PDP Jonathan-led administration. We canvassed the amendment of the law to give way for electronic voting but we were ignored. The National Assembly went ahead and amended the Electoral Act and said electronic voting should wait.
“They strengthened the existing system for manual voting. At that time, we had card reader and INEC had just procured laptops, and other items which would have aided the process. But because the PDP wanted to remain in power for 60 years, they threw our proposal away.
“But since that election where Buhari was elected in 2015, things have gotten worse. The National Assembly must amend the Electoral Act to ensure full deployment of electronic voting for 2023 and give legal backing to it.”
“Through this, results would be transmitted directly from the poling units to an INEC server and there would be no ballot paper to cart away. These boys would have no job to do and there would be fewer crises in the system,” Okorie said.
Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege had also acknowledged the problems and the need for a holistic amendment, when he recently introduced a bill for comprehensive amendment of the Electoral Act No. 6 of 2010.
The bill, co-sponsored with Senator Abubakar Kyari of Borno North Senatorial District, is now making its way to public hearing, having scaled second reading with overwhelming support in the Senate.
Omo-Agege said that the bill would also mandate the INEC to publish the voters’ register for public scrutiny at every registration area and on its website, at least, seven days before a general election.
According to him, “It also mandates INEC to suspend an election in order to allow a political party that loses its candidate before or during an election to conduct a fresh primary to elect a replacement or new candidate.”
He said the bill would grant agents of political parties the right to inspect original electoral materials before the commencement of election, define over-voting to include situations where total votes cast also exceed total number of accredited voters.
According to him, “It is a decisive response to a plethora of our Supreme Court’s decision inviting the National Assembly to make sensible amendments to the Electoral Act.
“And I believe it is responsible for us to take the apex court’s constructive guidance on issues that fundamentally affect our democracy.
“This apart, Section 153 of the Electoral Act, 2010, as amended, specifically and expressly empowers INEC to issue regulations, guidelines, or manuals for the purpose of giving effects to the provisions of this Act and for its administration thereof.”
The deputy Senate president further said: “The pervasive non-compliance with the Guidelines, Regulations and Manuals would carry clear consequences for people who think violating electoral due process is a rewarding exercise.
“The proposed Bill to amend the Electoral Act would focus on resolving issues surrounding INEC’s introduction of modern technologies into the electoral process, particularly accreditation of voters.”
He also said that the bill would grant agents of political parties the right to inspect original electoral materials before the commencement of election, define over-voting to include situations where “total votes cast also exceed total number of accredited voters’’.
But the national chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Mike Omotosho, doubted the sincerity of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to support any holistic electoral reforms that would enable an amendment to the Electoral Act in view of the current agitations for electronic voting.
“Personally, I doubt if this APC government would initiate any holistic electoral reforms that would give way to electronic voting. They would amend the Electoral Act, yes, but would they support electronic voting? They know with this, manipulation of election results would be drastically reduced. Why did Buhari refuse to sign it into law before the 2015 general election?
“With what we have seen in recent elections, it has become inevitable; you can see that everyday people are crying for it. Look at what elections have become; simply a mess; it is a do-or-die affair. The question is, how long can we continue with this? Personally, I am of the opinion that we should also have a commission to punish electoral offenders; they should work with security agencies and INEC, because it appears they are helpless.
“The situation has worsened in recent times because no one is punished, our party has made its position known to them,” Omotosho said.
Iniobong Iwok
