By Peter Ogbonna Eze
It is very true that in the moments of struggle for political power, politicians are known to put up all gimmicks available at their disposal to advance their cause and curry favour from the populace for election victories. That is the simple reason people will not be surprised when politicians make pronouncements and alter it through their actions or inactions in the next second. In such cases, information asymmetry is accepted, since it partly becomes a way of introducing confusion in the perceived opponents’ camp.
All over the world, especially in Africa today, most people mistrust politicians. Political scandals, conspiracies and corruption occur daily, hence most politicians are mistrusted even by their own supporters. Many believe that politicians breed corruption and inconsistency. No wonder people mistrust not only politicians, but also the processes that bring them to power. It is the reason many have continuously refused to vote. They no longer believe elections can make a significant change.
But when an expected neutral electoral umpire saddled with the responsibility of organising, undertaking and supervising an election for politicians become controversial and inconsistent in their pronouncement, it becomes hypocrisy in the highest order. One major problem in Nigeria democracy today is the existence of a questionable and grossly incompetent electoral body – Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The commission is regrettably not independent. The extreme failure of an electoral commission begins when her actions and inactions continuously fail to guarantee justice and fairness for the citizens.
It is hypocrisy when people either consciously or not, deceptively claim to adhere to a set of principles but do not act in ways consistent with those principles. Just as it is hypocritical when a priest who claims to adhere to fundamentalist religious beliefs and preaches same is caught in an unholy act, so it is for a commission to break from their own moral standard, whether stated publicly or not.
When a commission takes an oath to stand for justice and fairness, when it is widely expected to instill confidence in the teams it’s refereeing in a contest, but is found wanting in the discharge of such duties due to conflict in their body language, it becomes not only political but a basic form of cognitive dissonance.
The mission statement of INEC is to serve as an independent and effective election management body committed to the conduct of free, fair and credible elections for sustainable democracy, and her vision statement is to be one of the best election management bodies in the world that meets the aspirations of the Nigerian people. While carrying out her duty, INEC is to be guided by autonomy, transparency, integrity, credibility, equity and excellence. The question of whether INEC has recorded a fair grade in the observed expectations is left for an open minded individual to answer.
However, I am not from Abia North senatorial district neither am I from Abia State. But as a concerned citizen of Nigeria, who is optimistic of reversal of many conspicuous societal ills especially that of partiality and malfeasance in our electoral system. I, just like many others, am largely disenchanted with the March 5, 2016 INEC outing in Abia North Senatorial District. The senatorial election ended up producing the most controversial, highly discredited and notoriously vulnerable election in the Nigeria senatorial election history.
On record, it is no doubt that the election was obviously the most popular senatorial election in the country probably because of the personalities, like Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu (MON) who ran under the umbrella of Peoples’ Progressive Alliance ( PPA). Recall that several media houses termed it “the fight of the billionaires.”
However, as many Nigerians were anxiously waiting for the result of the election. It was reported that the INEC pronounced the election inconclusive due to some uncovered irregularities in about seven polling units. But in what seemed like antics of politicians and political parties who finds nothing wrong in even replacing a consensus candidate with an unpopular candidate in the wee hours of an election. The INEC reportedly reversed its decision and declared the election conclusive hours later in the presence of only one political party. This attitude cannot be compared to the decision INEC took in Rivers State rerun. But for Rivers State election rerun, some doubting Nigerians wouldn’t have still believed that a rerun election marred by gross irregularities should be suspended and declared inconclusive.
Nevertheless, whatever that must have led to the poor INEC decision is quite sad and very poor indeed. The need for an umpire in an election is to douse tension and instill confidence in the parties involved in the contest, but when this confidence is unconsciously arrested due to actions that shows bias, absurdity and political. It only but brings questions of the need for umpires in elections, especially as the preceding elections conducted by INEC in Abia North senatorial zone suffered loss of credibility.
How did the polling units initially reported by INEC of irregularities suddenly become free and fair? The claimed independent body is a very sensitive one that needs no inconsistencies and political dribbling. Otherwise, what else could explain such action? INEC should be reminded that election is a formal decision process by which population chooses an individual to hold public office. INEC is supposed to maintain its independence regardless of pressures from any quarter.
Again, INEC in her wisdom should know that democracy is a system in which the government is controlled by the people and in which people are considered equals in the exercise of that control. Moreover, unequal access to information contributes to an uneven political playing field.
Abia North senatorial election did not live up to the hopes and expectations of most Nigerians because the process was largely not credible and INEC contributed to it by speaking from both sides of the mouth. A silence on it is also a silence on the destiny of the people of the zone who have insistently shown their disapproval of the acclaimed result. INEC should not be encouraged by allowing such impunity to stand.
Again, this sad practice of inconsistency by the electoral umpires is unwelcomingly at variance with the general demands of other concerned Nigerians including the writer. But with the outcome, it will not be difficult to believe that the commission was hijacked by some people but mainly people of unrefined minds and untamed passions. Abia north, just like any other senatorial district, deserve credible results that are largely and truly acceptable to Nigerians. In consequence, the post electoral litigations will be minimal.
Moreover, electoral oversight in the world are serious matters that are consistently handled by the most patriotic, best informed minds, and brightest brains for accountability, responsibility and justice to be accomplished. A credible election is made possible by a well-articulated modality of vigorous publicity and dependable leadership. No responsible Nigerian would wish it to be in the hands of unrepentant and undemocratic umpires, otherwise it would remain political. And of course, the consequence would be better imagined than witnessed.
• Eze, a public affairs analyst, writes from Abuja via [email protected]