At a One Day Participatory Meeting on Road Map to Sustainable Electoral System in Nigeria: CSO Evaluation of INEC on Wednesday June26th 2013 by the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG)
APPRECIATION
Let us begin by
thanking the indefatigable chairman of Transition Monitoring Group (TMG)
comrade Zikirulahi. M. Ibrahim and the
amiable National Coordinator Zainab Abdullahi Mohammed and her team for
inviting us and to heartily congratulate them for skillfully steering the ship
of our
THE JOURNEY SO FAR
Our task in this
effort, within a constricted space of time looks rather ambitious but suffice
it at this point to state unhesitatingly that election observation exercise
during the election circle of the April 2011 General election and the
gubernatorial elections occasioned by litigations in Kogi, Adamawa, Bayelsa,
Cross River, Edo, Kebbi, Sokoto, Ondo states in 2012 witnessed relative
substantial and procedural improvement, relative, against the background of
what obtained under the inglorious Professor Maurice Iwu’s leadership of the
Commission. Evidently, under Iwu, election observation was an all-comers affair,
critical groups like TMG, ACE etc. were sufficiently blackmailed necessitating
unbelievable cat and mouse relationship.
Hear the ranting by one of the hirelings of
that era.
“Situations whereby civil society organisations have
hanging around their necks the neo-colonialist toga in return for a few dollar,
pound or Euro domination totally condemned, election rigging survived because
the CSOs in Nigeria are perpetually cocooned in their slums and only wake up
when white men need
data to update their records for the perpetuation of their neo-colonialist
Armageddon”….
It is also
preposterous to be called ‘independent’ when INEC in most local governments in
the states are housed and hosted in Local Government Secretariats, the journey will not
be so far if this continues.Under professor Jega
and the hardworking, untiring head of the Election observation unit, Mrs.
Ikwuoma Haliday has witnessed vitality, reinvigorated vista of mutual
engagement and cooperation. First a more strident process of engaging in the
election observation exercise was put in place and advertised, we are aware
that the chairman insists that only credible organisations are to
be accredited for
election observation exercise and in the 2011, 2012 election circles the unit
has continued to prune down the number of participating groups.The lack of
understanding of the mutuality of the important roles of observers and
monitors continues to constitute hitches as observers see the monitors as not
co-operating and monitors view observers as meddlesome; collaborative and joint
training will help in lighting the fog.
“It
is on this note that we condemn the flooding of Anambra state by every Tom,
Dick and Harry in the civil society industry in the name of ‘election
monitoring or observation from Alliance for credible elections to TMG, NLC,
NBA, CAN, JDPC, SCIA,MWAN, AID etc…”
Comrade
Emeka Umeagbalasi Chairman, The Inter-society, Nigeria.
(Board
of Trustees 2010)
As we are all
aware, Iwu has the unenviable and stinking reputation of having conducted
roundly and manifestly flawed 2007elections as adjudged by both foreign and
domestic election observers groups and even the principal recipient of the
electoral heist. Late president Umar Yar’Adua, God bless his soul.
Through 2010 to
2011, the concerted and unrelenting push by civil society for electoral reforms
yielded the exit of professor Iwu and the appointment of professor Attahiru
Jega (CFR) as the Honourable Chairman of the Commission, civil society and even
the donor community received his appointment with glee and has supported him
almost unquestionably.
Generally, public
perception of the Commission had hit the bottom ebb. INEC was perceived as
corrupt, most of the staff were seen as being in the service of electoral evil,
Professor Jega quickly rallied to his constituency. The academia, vice
chancellors, lecturers and corps members were drafted to shore-up public
confidence, in the electoral process and voter registration exercise was conducted
to weed out all the ‘Mike Tyson’s’, ‘Nelson Mandela’s etc. that found its way
and were ubiquitous in Iwu’s register.
As expected, civil
society rallied to the support of the new Commission and sought to work out a
memorandum of understanding to set out clear parameters of engagement,
unfortunately, for some inexplicable reasons that has yet to see the light of
the day.
Aside and on a
general note, while inarguably the current leadership of INEC inspires hope,
its reforms have thrown up sour grapes causing the teeth to edge. The continued
wide wholesale imposition of Ad-hoc staff (NYSC and Vice Chancellors), which in
our view was meant to be interventionist, almost now the norm seem to have
alienated career staff who when push gets to shove are still called in to help
out; two years is enough time to instill the values of honesty, discipline,
professionalism and reinstate staff to take leadership of the conduct of
elections.
INEC will need to
include demographic information (sex, age etc.) to identify and aid planning
for both stakeholders and placeholders.
As 2015 beckons,
the resonating issue of logistic challenges which prefaces all observation
reports in 2011 and 2012 must be looked into; it is one hurdle INEC has been
unable to cross.
We will need to
rethink the time between accreditation and voting, we may create perhaps an
hour buffer as this in our view has aided apathy.
Our non-challant
attitude to the issue of monitoring campaign financing and sanctioning
defaulters has been unhelpful.
Equitable media
access for all political parties is a yawning imperative; DSTV penetration is
still poor, Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria barks but is toothless.
SYNERGY BETWEEN INEC AND DOMESTIC OBSERVATION GROUPS
ACHIEVEMENTS
1. Training: Even
when it is clear that participating groups may have trained their personnel for
the task, in order to build the capacity of the groups, the EMOU of INEC
supported by IFES hosted a TOT for the observer groups and INEC staff who are
involved in monitoring and handling election duties.
2. Prior
to any of the elections
mentioned earlier, INEC organised stakeholders engagement meetings in the
states with the chairman of the commission in attendance also the public
affairs unit made available phone lines and twitter handles for prompt
complaints and intervention and this has proven very efficient in reporting and
resolution of some election challenges.
3. Logistics
for Observers:
a. The more revolutionary intervention by the
unit has been the introduction of the plastic photo identity cards and
aprons, which has helped to identify accredited organisations apart from those
involved in citizen observation.
b. INEC/EMOU provided contact details of
their staff on duty and area maps during the elections to aid the work of
observers and answer questions when necessary and has consistently in all
elections briefed and debriefed Groups engaged in the exercise.
There seems also
to be better/professional conduct of observation as there has been complaints
of misdemeanour in the field by accredited observers.
CHALLENGES
Though the
relationship between election observers and the EMOU has been cordial, the
lingering challenge of most accredited observer groups not turning in reports
officially to INEC persists and needs to be addressed in future. It maybe expedient
for the EMOU to work an easy format of sourcing e-report from the groups.
We need to seize
this auspicious opportunity to re-open conversations and deal with grey areas
if any and ultimately sign the elusive MOU between INEC and civil society groups. This
will remove hiccups that have characterised the relationship.
The continued
enjoyment of perks of office by beneficiaries of electoral infamy, due to
unending litigation and prosecutorial inaction for electoral offenders and
offences need to engage our contemplation especially now that electoral
impunity is on the rise.
Going forward, we
must find a way to remove restriction of movement on Election Day. We need to
improve security during elections rather that shutting down social economic
activities as it is done in other climes. We must also strengthen and ensure
continued voter education especially around switching over to polling units
closest to them.
The Electoral
Management Body (EMB) needs to come out clear on the policy thrust and
philosophical values that will underpin and drive the 2015 elections, stating
where it stands on the evolving single/staggered election debate and at what
point do broad citizens/stakeholders input be sought (not views of former
colleagues, comrades turned consultants) to enrich the electoral process.
OPPORTUNITIES
Collaboration,
partnership, sharing of information especially with the Human Rights Commission
on the novel electoral impunity Initiative, principled relationship with the
donor community and development partners as we approach another election circle
will be germane.
CONCLUSION
We must enhance
advocacy around the continued voter registration exercise, depoliticise,
mobilise and get stakeholders buy-in on the delimitation of constituency
exercise.
Beyond all of
these, we have to resist the temptation to be enveloped as critical and
important as it is by our election matters pre-occupation and engage also in
the struggles to enthrone a freer society, fight impunity and corruption which
are the twin devils holding the Nigerian ruling elite hostage; it is a holistic
imperative.
Thank you.
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