By Chuks OLUIGBO
'Some 12 months ago, April 2011 seemed like a millennium away. We all looked forward to Nigeria
It was with the above words that Gbenga Omotosho set the tempo for his article, ‘Countdown to April’, published in The Nation of January 27, 2011. In that article written at the peak of the voters’ registration exercise in Nigeria, Mr Omotosho reviewed the then on-going voters’ registration as conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, the hitches it was facing, the plot by some unrepentant politicians to either compromise or wreck the exercise, the protests for the extension of the exercise, the proposed amendment of the Electoral Act by the National Assembly in order to accommodate the extension, among other issues.
The long-awaited April is here at last. The registration exercise and the primary elections across the parties have come and gone, with some measure of success. Today, it is no longer countdown. It is election time.
From the INEC time-table released long before even the voters’ registration exercise commenced, the National Assembly (Federal House of Representatives and the Senate) elections will hold on April 2, presidential elections will hold on April 9, while governorship and state houses of assembly elections will hold on April 16.
As it stands, the National Assembly election, which comes up on April 2, is a test-case for INEC and its chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega. Jega is one man that many Nigerians have strong confidence in. Will such confidence in Jega last beyond April 2011, or will it fade away with the elections? Will Jega be remembered as a hero or a villain? Will he be discredited as run-of-the-mill? Answers to these questions will be determined by how Jega conducts the coming elections.
A word for Prof Attahiru Jega. Prof, these are indeed trying times for you, but you must rise to the occasion. You must prove to Nigerians that the confidence reposed in you is not misplaced. You must show that you are different from many before you: the Humphrey Nwosus, the Guobadias, the Iwus. More importantly, you must justify the huge billions that have gone into this venture. Nigerians are aware that the government in power never withheld anything from you. You got everything you demanded. You must prove to them that tax-payers’ money has not been flushed down the drain, and Nigerians will not accept ‘logistics problems’ as excuse for failure to deliver. Nigerians demand nothing but free, fair, and credible elections. Anything short of this shall be unacceptable.
But it is not only of Jega that Nigerians demand moral rectitude; they also expect INEC resident electoral commissioners in all the states to be men and women of integrity who will not compromise the votes of the people.
The electoral commission, INEC, and when I say this I still mean Jega, must make adequate provision for the electoral officers all round so as to avoid a repeat of what happened in some centres during the registration exercise where, because INEC did not make provision for regular power supply at the registration centres, the registrstion officers fell into the trap of some politicians in the areas. These politicians cashed in on the situation and provided power generating sets and petrol to the registration officers who, in order to reciprocate this magnanimous gesture, turned around to bend to the whims and caprices of their benefactors.
Contestants (both incumbents and those contesting against them), political appointees, local government chairmen, and other government officials must heed INEC’s warning not to be anywhere near any polling booth in the name of election monitoring. They should not monitor any elections because it is not their duty to do so. They should leave the job to the rightful people to handle. What is expected of them come election days is to go to their booth, cast their vote, and quietly go home. But they must make sure that they are adequately represented by their agents in every polling booth within their constituency so as to minimize the chances of mago mago (electoral fraud).
Law enforcement agents, be they police, state security service, civil defence, or military, must ensure that they do their job without fear or favour. They must not be seen to be working on the side of the state, which they are often prone to, or sell their conscience to the highest bidder. And they must desist from accepting any form of gratification from any contestant or their representative, in any form or by any means, no matter the circumstances.
Same for INEC officials and the electoral officers, from the polling agents to the returning officers. They must resist the temptation of collecting gratification from any politician or contestant, and they must live above board, knowing that the life of 150 million Nigerians are in their hands.
Finally, Nigerians are expected to turn out en masse and cast their votes for the candidates of their choice. They should remember that their destiny is in their hands, and that anyone who does not vote has denied him/herself the right to criticize a non-performing government or to demand a better representation. But it must not end there. Beyond casting their votes, they must also be around to protect their votes, ensure that their votes are counted, that the accurate figures are recorded, and that a winner does not turn a loser via dubious manipulations.
Now that the long-awaited April 2011 is here, all hands must be on deck because
Great piece. Very timely. I only hope that Nigerians are reading this.
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