On account of the successful conduct of the recent gubernatorial elections in Ekiti and Osun states, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has promised to make the 2023 elections the best in the country. Yakubu stated this when he hosted delegates from the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI), led by the Secretary of the State of Ohio, United States, Frank LaRose, in Abuja. He said that the commission would improve on the successes recorded in the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections.
The declaration by the INEC chairman is encouraging and commendable. No doubt, INEC has shown remarkable improvements in its conduct of elections since the November 2021 Anambra governorship poll. The deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) has substantially enhanced the integrity of our elections in recent times. The use of technology in elections has considerably reduced multiple voting, ballot snatching and rigging.
For instance, the outcome of Osun governorship poll reflected the wishes of the people. It also showed that their votes really counted. The efficient deployment of officials and materials must have accounted for the successes recorded so far by INEC in some of the off-seasons polls. In the 2023 general election, the electoral umpire must up its game by timely deployment of electoral officials and voting materials. It must also ensure that the accreditation of voters is seamless.
The need for continuous voter education cannot be overemphasised. Therefore, INEC and political parties should intensify efforts in this direction. The voters and party supporters must be law-abiding and peaceful before, during and after the polls. The election must be free from violence and other electoral infractions. That is why the security agents deployed for election duties should observe the extant rules of engagement and must be apolitical and patriotic in carrying out such duties.
The prompt counting of votes and transmission of election results in Ekiti and Osun polls is an indication that the electronic transmission of results is the best way to make the 2023 poll the best ever in the country. Now that the INEC chairman has pledged to make the 2023 poll the best, he should go ahead and do so. Good enough, the commission has been adequately equipped to carry out a transparent election in 2023. Similarly, President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to ensure that the 2023 poll reflects the wishes of Nigerians. Nigerians will expect no less from Yakubu and his team in 2023. However, there is still room for improvement. The growing culture of vote-buying must be curbed as well as electoral violence. INEC should work on these and other challenges before the poll.
The 2023 elections are a watershed in Nigeria’s electoral history. These are election exercise in which the incumbent President will not be contesting. The outcome of the polls will determine the future of the country. They are elections that INEC must get right. Nigerians and members of the international community expect nothing but the best from the electoral umpire.
The promise of a free and fair poll by the INEC Chairman to his American visitors must be followed through. INEC should not rest on its oars because of the relative successes recorded in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun governorship polls. The best way INEC can ensure free, fair and credible polls is to allow the votes to count. In other words, INEC must ensure that the wishes of Nigerians are respected in the 2023 election.
Let the commission synergise with security agencies to ensure a hitch-free exercise. The security agents involved and INEC officials must also be neutral in the election and should be seen to be so. The electoral agency has to be firm in dealing with its officials found to be compromising the process.
