1999 and the leadership of the National Assembly responsible for the
patently unlawful postponement of the 2019 general elections scheduled to
hold yesterday but now to hold on Saturday.”
The organization said: “Given the increasing tendency to postpone
elections and the cumulative failures and corruption over the years, SERAP
would, after the elections, pursue appropriate legal action against the
government in power and the National Assembly leadership for the catalogue
of breaches of constitutional and international obligations, and seek
effective remedies for the citizens.”
In a statement today signed by SERAP deputy director Kolawole Oluwadare,
the organization said: “The postponement of Nigeria’s elections since 2007
shows a systemic failure of leadership at the highest level of government,
and suggests that our electoral process is deliberately skewed in favour
of politicians’ interests, who continue to profit from the corruption and
impunity that have characterised the process since 1999, and against those
of the citizens.”
According to the organization: “Calling for the resignation of the
Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman, Professor
Mahmood Yakubu rather than addressing the root causes of persistent
postponement of elections is a blatant attempt by politicians to scapegoat
the electoral commission.”
The statement read in part: “While the INEC leadership ought to
proactively push for reform of the electoral system, successive
governments and leadership of the National Assembly that have the legal
responsibility but have remained largely impervious to revolutionary
change of the electoral system, should be held to account for this
fundamental breach of public trust.”
“Foisting outdated electoral system on Nigerians, and spending huge public
funds to sustain it, seems in uneasy tension with constitutional
provisions and Nigeria’s international obligations including under the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, African Charter on
Human and Peoples’ Rights, and African Charter on Democracy, Elections and
Governance to which Nigeria is a state party.”
“Rather than prioritising genuine and comprehensive reforms of the
electoral system that would upgrade and modernize our voting processes,
successive governments and leadership of the National Assembly would seem
to prefer the status quo, presumably to undermine citizens’ right to
participation and to continue to profit from the corruption and impunity
that the current system and processes breed.”
“It is clear that the current electoral process is vulnerable to
corruption but politicians would seem to have little incentive to
comprehensively reform, upgrade and modernise it. It is unlikely that
either the federal government or the National Assembly would take the
steps necessary to sort out our electoral system, and improve
transparency, accountability and integrity of the electoral process.”
“We urge Nigerians to take more active role in the fight against
corruption, including by putting pressure on the authorities at the
federal and state levels and the National Assembly to comprehensively
reform, upgrade and modernize our electoral system and processes.
Otherwise, citizens’ right to participate in the governance system will
remain a ‘hollow right’.”
“Given that the right to vote is considered a part of an individual’s
fundamental right to political participation, persistent postponement of
elections in the country raises serious questions about the legitimacy and
integrity of Nigeria’s fledgling democracy.”
“Persistent failure to upgrade and modernize the electoral system has
effectively relegated the right of participation to paper tiger status,
undermining the ability of citizens to genuinely participate in the fight
against corruption and to hold their leaders to account. Yet, a
transparent, accountable and modernized electoral process is a
prerequisite to the effective exercise of citizenship in a democratic
society.”
“No right is more precious in a democratic country than that of having a
voice in the election of those who represent us. That voice is not lost
when the electoral process is skewed in favour of politicians’ interests
and against the Nigerian voters. Other rights, even the most basic, are
illusory if the right to vote is undermined by the collective failure to
upgrade and modernize the country’s electoral processes.”
“It is time to push for revolutionary changes in how Nigeria conducts its
elections. The changes should effectively deploy modern technology, which
has been successfully used in the business and other sectors in the
country. Such changes may include the introduction of a national system of
Internet voting, to innovative ideas on how to adapt the election systems
to facilitate participation by different sectors of the population, to
conform with twenty-first century elections.”
“The postponement is the by-product of a systemic and collective failure
by successive governments and National Assembly leadership to provide
Nigerians with reliable, efficient and secured electoral system, which has
continued to undermine public confidence in elections as well as the
public’s right to vote and participate in their own government.”
“SERAP would also deploy the Freedom of Information Act to seek
information on details of spending by INEC since 1999, as part of our
initiatives to improve transparency and accountability of governmental
operations and promote respect for citizens’ right to participate in the
processes of government and governance in the country.”
“SERAP notes that postponement of general elections has become a recurring
feature of the country’s electoral process. For example, the 2007 general
elections witnessed late arrival of election materials from South Africa
in April of that year, contributing to denying millions of voters their
right to political participation.”
“SERAP also notes that the 2011 general election suffered the same
organizational lapses, with the elections postponed for two days after it
had commenced. In 2015, the government of former president Goodluck
Jonathan postponed the election for six weeks on the pretext that it
needed time to reclaim the local governments reportedly taken over by the
Boko Haram terrorist group.”
“The INEC on the morning of the elections shifted presidential and
National Assembly elections to 23rd February, 2019. The Governorship,
State House of Assembly and the FCT Area Council Elections are to hold on
9th March, 2019.”