Ekiti Election: INEC Must  Deliver On A Clean Slate

Next Saturday, the people of Ekiti State will go to the polls to elect a governor. Among top candidates jostling to succeed Dr. John Kayode Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress, APC, are Michael Opeyemi Bamidele and Ayodele Fayose of the Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party respectively. The incumbent who has led the charge for the transformation of the state in the last four years is also running.

The trend of campaigns has not been free of squabbles. Supporters of the various candidates have been engaged in acts capable of undermining the electoral process. There have been reported cases of clashes at rallies in townships across the state. The security agencies too, have been the butt of criticism for either failing to provide adequate security for the people or tending to do the bidding of a particular party, as lives were lost on some occasions where violence occurred.

Now that campaigns are coming to a close, attention is shifting towards the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. The reason for this is obvious, as it is the agency constitutionally saddled with not just conducting the polls but also making adequate arrangement to ensure that the election is hitch-free and result fair to all. It is this responsibility that makes the INEC a very vital component in the electoral process. Yet, recent elections organised by INEC have not been heartwarming.

The Nigerian electoral umpire’s problems usually begin from uncoordinated logistical arrangements. Like in Anambra last November, materials failed  to arrive at the polling centres early despite assurances days before the polls that there would be no hitches of any sort. In most cases when they arrived, the materials were inadequate. In extreme cases, ad hoc personnel working for INEC didn’t turn up for the exercise. This does not just put the INEC in a precarious situation, it also jeopardises or even compromises the process. There is also the issue of mix-up of the voters’ registers, with names of voters either missing or the register sent to a different polling unit, thereby disenfranchising the electorate on election day. This has always been one of the biggest challenges INEC hardly surmounts every election period.

This is why many Nigerians are concerned about the Ekiti election. It is no longer so much about what politicians can do to undermine the process but about how much preparation have been made by INEC to conduct a free and fair election as a way of atoning for the last sham it held in Anambra on 16 November, 2013 and some other places.

Here, perhaps are  a few of what INEC must do to earn the trust of Nigerians as it gets set to conduct the governorship election in Ekiti State. First, the dissemination of adequate and authentic information relating to the conduct of the election is vital. All parties must be briefed about their roles in the election and how they can contribute to the success of the process. Movement of materials – sensitive and non-sensitive must be handled in such a transparent manner that is devoid of favoritism towards any of the interested parties. Rules and regulations must be enforced to the letter. Security agencies should lend a hand to the commission. On the election day, INEC must rise to the occasion by ensuring that men and materials relevant to the entire process arrive the appropriate places and at the right time. After the actual poll, announcement of results and declaration of the winner must be done according to the rules as stipulated in the Electoral Act.

A repeat of the previous shoddy performance by INEC will spell doom for this democratic experiment especially as we approach the 2015 general elections. Now that funding is not a problem for the Attahiru Jega-led INEC, Nigerians expect to see a renewed and re-invigorated INEC in Ekiti. This election will be a kind of litmus test. And if the electoral body rises to the occasion by being fair and just, then it can for once earn the respect of Nigerians and indeed retain some international respect for the country. Anything other than this will cast a dark cloud on the country’s march to lasting democracy while the country maintains her status as a laughing stock in the comity of nations.