By Promise Adiele
The democratic years of Nigeria’s political experience have witnessed various electoral bodies playing significant roles in the country’s democratic engagements. There was the Federal Electoral Commission (FEC) from 1960 to 1966. There was the Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO) from 1979 to 1983. There was the National Electoral Commission (NEC) in 1993. There was the National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON) from 1995 to 1998. There is the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from 1998 to date. No electoral body in Nigeria’s democratic journey has conducted a malpractice-free election. There were degrees of manipulation and underhanded, sharp practices in the enactment of that Greek political ritual.
In those years, electoral fraud was discreetly carried out and the perpetrators denied any wrongdoing for fear of public ire. Never in the history of electoral bodies and the conduct of elections did any electoral body shamelessly conduct elections or the processes leading to them in the way INEC has done under Mr. Mahmood Yakubu. Videos of open electoral fraud following the recently concluded LGA elections in Rivers State and bye-elections in Anambra State testify to the foregoing submission. Although the LGA election in Rivers State was conducted by the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC), it is difficult to divorce the culture of malpractice during the election from the INEC template in Anambra State. Tragically, Nigerians celebrated electoral fraud in Anambra and Rivers States, praising the perpetrators as heroes on mainstream and social media.
Let me digress a bit. A respondent to one of my essays in the past asked me pointedly why I always address Mahmood Yakubu as “Mr” instead of “Prof.” I replied that I find it difficult to address certain persons as “Profs” because I do not think they earned the title through a judicious, equitable process, given the way they brazenly dance naked in public. I reminded the writer that there are many Professors I will NEVER address as such because I do not think they merit or deserve it. I explained to the person that I am walking the path of becoming a professor and I know the rigour and meticulousness associated with it. So, I reason that if this is what it takes to become a Prof., then certain persons do not deserve that elevated title, and Mahmood Yakubu is one of such persons. Of course, there are Profs and there are Profs. All Profs are not equal.
The 2023 general election and all the overflowing evidence about its conduct say a lot about the man in charge of Nigeria’s current electoral body. But that is not even the issue here. The main issue is that never in the history of Nigeria’s democratic journey was the manipulation of the electoral process and election proper carried out in an open, free-for-all criminal manner, with the beneficiaries gloating over it. The major disaster is that a section of the populace now barefacedly supports open treachery and electoral criminality because it favours their candidate. It is a clear indication that Nigeria’s moral indices have sunk to an all-time low. It may look like a joke now, but the culture of criminality being entrenched will inevitably percolate across all institutions and agencies of the country. It is more tragic because some Nigerians celebrate persons behind these democratic infractions as “godfathers” and “master strategists.” A certain character that oversees the affairs of Abuja in a certain capacity has become the god of electoral duplicity in Nigeria, and many people celebrate him for it. The story of Rivers State shall be told one day in the future.
Recently, following the conduct of LGA elections in Rivers State and bye-elections in Anambra State, video evidence emerged showing how elections were rigged. In the video, some people were seen thumb-printing voter materials in a hidden location and stamping them with determined vigour. At the end of the exercise, bizarre results were announced by RSIEC which favoured the APC ruling party. The video of the election, conducted under an illegal administrator, is offensive and grates at the conscience of any equitable mind. But of course, not all Nigerians parade equitable consciences, seeing that a section of the populace has decidedly embraced demons of multiple classifications in our electoral spaces. In the Rivers State election, where APC swept the polls, crazy figures were announced which would provide comic relief in our tense political atmosphere. In one local government, APC got more than 300,000 votes, far more than the number some governors got in some states to become governors. Wonders shall never end. In Anambra State during the bye-elections directly conducted by INEC, video evidence showed that voters received money from unidentified persons to vote. At the end, APGA, the party in power in the state, swept the polls with incredible numbers.
Given the flimflam associated with the last Anambra State bye-elections and Rivers State LGA elections, one is bound to ask the all-important question: should Nigerians continue with voter registration? The question is pertinent because the exercise seems to be an effort in complete futility. I do not want to believe that the INEC hierarchy has not seen the video of electoral fraud circulating on social media. Since these videos of electoral fraud broke out, no government official or INEC official has openly condemned the charade. If this is a rehearsal of what is to come in 2027, then Nigerians may as well stop voter registration because the whole purpose is compromised. It defeats every shred of morality to encourage people to register to vote when their votes will never count. It is modern political witchcraft. The continued sponsored campaign by INEC urging people to register to vote seems to be a facade to give a semblance of genuineness when the electoral body well knows that the people’s votes may not count.
As it stands, electoral reform is the best guarantee of free and fair elections in Nigeria. If electoral reform does not take place, the whole idea of a competitive, free and fair election in 2027 would be a pipe dream. Somehow, it is intriguing that the government has not intensified the call for electoral reform. It therefore challenges our collective reasoning process as to why the opposition and their supporters think that there would be a free and fair election in 2027. I have heard such phrases as “rig and die in 2027” from the opposition brigade. The recent LGA elections and bye-elections have proved that the “rig and die” mantra is a mere aphorism mounted by those who ascribe some form of moral decency to the wielders of political power in the country. Given the silence that greeted the massive rigging during these elections, the “rig and die” refrain seems to be a mere emotional wish that would flounder in the face of overwhelming state power and influence. That Nigerians are not scandalized enough after the Anambra and Rivers elections seems to be a subtle resignation to perfidy. In that case, 2027 is a foregone conclusion. Aspiring politicians in other political parties who are urging the electorate to register because their vote is their power must not pretend not to have seen what happened in Anambra and Rivers States. These politicians encouraging their supporters to register to vote must find a way to explain to them that the elections will not be premeditated and registering to vote is not a waste of time.
Mr. Mahmood Yakubu and his entire INEC army must look at themselves in the mirror and demand accountability. To progressively preside over a body in sync with chicanery of a national dimension is to adulterate the country’s democratic process and secure a permanent place in its hall of infamy. Nigerians want to enjoy democracy through a transparent, honest process, but Yakubu’s INEC must help them to achieve that aim. The Nigerian police, army and other security apparatuses used as cannon fodder must also examine themselves in the mirror and ask telling questions. If these state instruments are deployed to rig elections and manipulate the entire electoral process, INEC may be arm-twisted to only watch and obey. If these electoral realities have become the norm in our country, then there is absolutely no need to continue to spend money on media campaigns encouraging impoverished Nigerians to register to vote. INEC must be honest with Nigerians and educate us if the 2027 election is won and lost already. If that is the case, we will understand, wipe our buttocks and go home instead of this endless groping into an indeterminate alley. Surely, Nigerians are among the most docile and rationalizing people on the planet, but INEC and the government must exercise caution in rubbing it in our faces.
Dr. Promise Adiele is of the Mountain Top University and can be reached at: promee01@yahoo.com X: @drpee4
