1st August, 2023
By Angela Atabo
The 2023 general elections have come and gone. Bar any major pronouncement by election petition tribunals across the country winners and losers have emerged. As it stands, the country has already passed through the post-election shocks.
The electoral process did not meet the expectations of every single Nigerians (there is no election that does so in any part of the world).
However, many stakeholders say it time to heal the wounds and move on; while the losers should begin ernest preparation for the next election cycle.
The desire to move has not diminished the need for answers to crucial questions with a view to improving the polity and producing a better electoral process.
Some of the posers are: Was the election the best Nigeria can offer? Are there areas that can be improved upon?
People also ask: What can be done differently? Did politicians play by the rules as stipulated in the Electoral Act signed into law by then President Muhammadu Buhari on Feb. 25.
Other questions are: how do we reinvigorate the political system and electoral process to resonant confidence and transparency? Is INEC truly independent? Does it have enough protection by the law to function independently?
One of the key provisions of the Act is the deployment of technologies such as Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) Election Results Viewing Portal (IReV) on election day.
The use of BVAS and IReV during the polls has dominated post-election debate.
According to a social activist, Mr Samson Itodo, although the 2023 elections had its shortcoming, it was an improvement on the 1999 version.
Itodo is the Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, an NGO involved in promoting participatory democracy, human rights and civic participation.
“INEC demonstrated institutional resilience as the Commission proceeded with electoral preparations despite incessant attacks on its offices in certain parts of the country.
`The nationwide deployment and high functionality rate of the BVAS for voter accreditation in the February 25 and March 18 elections are bright spots in the 2023 general election that should be strengthened and sustained. ‘’
However, Ene Obi, former convener of Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, disagrees.
According to her, contrary to expectations, 2023 general election was marred by very poor organisation, severe logistical and operational failure, lack of essential electoral transparency, substantial disruption of voting, and several incidents of violence.
“In addition, there was very poor communication from INEC on challenges with its processes on election day.
“In the light of these shortcomings, the Situation Room believes that additional reforms and improvements are required to ensure that the quality of future election in Nigeria does not further decline.
“It will also help to ensure that public confidence in the capacity of INEC to conduct elections is restored, while trust in the credibility of elections is re-established,” she said.
Mr Jake Epelle, Chief Executive Officer, Albino Foundation (TAF) An Albino-centric organisation the election was not inclusive enough as Albinos and many people living with disabilities were not given the right environment to exercise their franchise.
“TAF Africa observed the inadequate deployment of assistive tools at polling units.
“It was observed that 75 per cent of the had no braille ballot guides for the visually impaired, 87% had no magnifying glasses for persons with Albinism and 63% had no large font graphic posters for the deaf”, he said.
Ms Grace Jerry, Executive Director Inclusive Friends Association (IFA), an advocate group for Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) advocated electoral reforms to reflective more inclusiveness.
“The Electoral Act, Section 54 mandates INEC to provide PWDs with aids or assistive electoral materials to eliminate any form of barriers to voting.
“Those barriers still raised their heads in the election just like other election. The executive arm, at all levels, should strengthen existing building codes and force them to guarantee accessibility for PWDs during and beyond elections.”
“IFA urges INEC to re-strategise its deployment of assistive voting materials for PWDs in future elections’’, he said.
Idayat Hassan, Director, Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD),which describes itself as a political and democracy think tank, said the elections have come and gone but left behind a mixed bag of feeling.
She said that although the election was challenged by some logistics factors it was not entirely a failed process.
“When you look at the National Assembly election, you will see we now have a National Assembly with eight political parties, which is unprecedented.
“Before President Buhari left, there was a bill on electoral offences commission; that should be one thing that President Tinubu should immediately pick up to build trust with Nigerians’’, she said.
But the Nigerian Civil Society Situation Room is calling for radical changes in the electoral process; it said should be driven by Tinubu to restore trust in the system.
“The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room is following up on its report of the 2023 general elections and is demanding for urgent national electoral reforms to re-ignite citizens’ confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.
“A post-2023 general election survey recently conducted by the Situation Room has exposed a significant dip in citizens’ confidence in INEC.
“The citizens now query the ability of INEC to conduct credible elections in the country”, Mallam Yunusa Yau, the leader of the group told newsmen in Abuja.
He said such reforms would come handy in the upcoming off-cycle governorship elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi states later in the year.
Yiaga Africa says given the observed lapses, there is the need for electoral reforms to deepen the process and restore public confidence in it.
“Electoral reforms can deliver credible elections if stakeholders, especially INEC and political parties, comply with the rules and guidelines: Several innovations were introduced prior to the election to combat electoral fraud and enhance the integrity of the process.
“Full compliance with the guidelines on results management as enshrined in the electoral law would have inspired public confidence in the electoral outcome”, he said.
Yau, alleged that unfortunately the guidelines were observed in breach in several collation centers.
“The ambiguity with the provisions on results collation, margin of lead and electronic transmission of results made the process susceptible to manipulation and misinterpretation’’, he said.
Experts in politics however urge electoral reforms if Nigeria were to have a credible elections
“An overhaul of the appointment process of INEC commissioners is needed to restore public confidence in the electoral commission.
“In addition, there is a pressing need to unbundle the commission and shift certain institutional responsibilities it bears currently to other institutions.
“For example, the responsibility of political party registration and regulation, and electoral offences prosecution should be removed from the commission”, advanced Yau.
However, Mr Festus Okoye, INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, is confident that the commission is on the right track in spite of the challenges.
He acknowledged the need for a comprehensive review of 2023 electoral process, according to media reports.
Okoye said it was obvious that there were challenges that usually come with the such enormous challenge of conducting a general election for such a hetrogenous country as Nigeria.
He, however, assured that the commission would make amends where necessary in order to mover the system forward.
“If there are changes that are required both legal and constitutional reviews, or reforms, the commission will pursue those are legal and constitutional reforms,” he said
” I want to say that democracy is a work in progress, democracy is not a finished product ,so we have to keep on working in order to make sure that we get our electoral process and democracy to the positions we want it to be,” he said.