Nigerians went to bed on Friday, 15th\u00a0February, with solid determination
\nto troop out in the morning of Saturday, 16th\u00a0February to cast their votes
\nfor their preferred presidential and national assembly candidates. There
\nwas nothing to warn them that the date will be an anti-climax the next
\nmorning. INEC had restated its preparation and determination to conduct a
\nfree and fair election despite the syndicated doubts and fears of those
\nwho have come to the ruddy reality that they will lose the election. The
\nPresidency has indeed signed off on Thursday 14th\u00a0February with a
\npresidential broadcast by President Muhammadu Buhari and different cadres
\nof politicians had retreated to their bases for the election. Schools had
\nbeen closed, banks and offices operated on half capacity on Friday and
\ngenerally, every indices of an election the following day was observed in
\nNigeria last Friday.<\/p>\n
Like a thief in the night, INEC stole in the election postponement in the
\nwee hours of the election day and it gave no reason for the act besides
\npromising to meet with stakeholders by 2pm that Saturday to chart the way
\nforward for the election that was shifted to Saturday February 23rd, while
\nthe subsequent state governorship and state assembly election was shifted
\nfrom March 2nd\u00a0to March 9th. Every Nigerian was at a loss as to what
\nprompted the postponement especially as the act came few hours to the
\ncommencement of the election. Anger and disappointment soon gave way to
\nbracing with the reality that we have to wait one more week to carry out
\nthat important civic obligation.<\/p>\n
However, there have been a cacophony of allegations, accusations and
\ncounter-accusations amongst the contending political parties and the
\ncandidates as to what and who prodded the postponement but these remain
\nspeculative venting of loaded fury that does nothing to reveal the real
\nreasons why INEC stole in that postponement on all of us. But then, this
\nis not the first time we have seen such act and it is certainly not the
\nworst of such postponements. Our two recent elections, 2015 and 2011 come
\nto mind here. The 2015 election saw a six-week postponement forced on
\nNigerians. Unlike the latest postponement however, the 2015 act was at the
\ninstance of the ruling PDP which felt threatened by the challenge of the
\nnewly-formed APC and in fright of imminent defeat, forced the shifting of
\nthe election by six weeks during which it went haywire in deploying
\nNigeria\u2019s national resources in open bribery and inducement of voters
\nwithin that six weeks. What more, its leading members and officers openly
\nboasted that the shifting would enable them come back to power. Sad for
\nit, that desperate corrupt act never saved it as it was defeated by APC
\nwhen the election subsequently held. Also, it wasn\u2019t INEC that levied the
\n2015 postponement. Rather, it was the PDP government which rammed such
\ndecision through the Council of States. Again, in 2011, we remember how
\nINEC postponed the presidential and National Assembly election few hours
\nafter the exercise had commenced in many states! So, this postponement is
\nneither novel nor unprecedented. But Nigerians were disappointed, all the
\nsame, that INEC has not outlived its traditional lethargy and state of
\nunpreparedness and tidied its acts as to ensure precision in its time
\ntable.
\n[wysija_form id=”2″]
\nHowever, while we ventilate our frustration and anger at INEC, it may be
\nnecessary for us to give it the benefit of the doubt. There are
\ncertainties to suggest that INEC observed some glitches that might have
\ncompromised the election and decided to arrest such, even hours to the
\nexercise than bear the burden of a mangled and charred election. That way,
\nINEC might have saved itself from a historical burden but saved the
\ncountry the heavy burden of compromised election and the attendant social
\nupheaval that might cause. One week is not too long for a nation to wait
\nto have a good election it will proudly own as its own.<\/p>\n
But then, the country is now abreast with very many cases of breaches or
\nconducts that would have heavily compromised the election if it held. With
\nthe ugly cases of people being arrested with forged election results for
\nthe postponed election, several cases of premeditated violence on INEC
\nofficials and materials, shocking cases of logistic compromise, reported
\ncases of compromise of the sensitive equipment and materials for the
\nelection, diversion of critical electoral materials, several cases of
\narmed political thugs apprehended by security agencies in several parts of
\nthe country, it is obvious that many intrigues must have been tapped into
\nthe electoral process to make INEC to postpone the election so that such
\nchallenges could be trashed out. It is certain that INEC knows quite a lot
\nwe don\u2019t know and it is exposed to certain infractions we may even not
\ncomprehend so its decision to postpone the election may have been informed
\nby patriotic and national interests that will enrich our democracy in the
\nlong run. Even as much of that knowledge is not revealed and is entered
\ninto the classified files of INEC, it is certain that enough cogent
\nreasons informed its decision to tarry a little to deliver a credible
\nelection. \u00a0It may be apt to warn that should INEC notice serious fracture
\nof the process even while election is on-going on the new date, it can
\nstill cancel and postpone the exercise, as happened in 2011 so let us not
\nbe unduly fastidious in our desire to elect leaders through a credible
\ndemocratic process.<\/p>\n
Having said that, it is my desire that INEC should be on top of its acts
\nthis time around. It should deploy its best hands and brains to deal with
\nthe notorious penchant of politicians to influence the process for
\nulterior motives. We have heard loads of allegations of compromise of
\nelectoral officers, manipulation of machines and card readers, diversion
\nof materials and all such traditional election-rigging practices. Sure,
\nthese have been recurrent trends with Nigerian elections but INEC must
\nensure that it guards the system from the noxious influences embedded in
\nthese malignant electoral vices. Where it lacks the expertise, it can
\noutsource these roles so as to get us a credible process. Within this one
\nweek, INEC must make sure that it monitors its officials as well as its
\nmaterials and come out with requisite tactics to deal with the challenges
\nposed to the system by unscrupulous INEC officials, working in cahoots
\nwith desperate politicians. That done, INEC should make its activities and
\nprocesses easily trackable by the electorates who remain the greatest
\nanti-rigging buffers.<\/p>\n
I firmly believe this INEC can deliver but that depends on its ability to
\ntrack and monitor its officials at every level. INEC should ensure it
\nneither allows the government to dictate to it nor fall into the trap of
\nthose who, for fear that they might lose the election, have developed
\nsyndicated charge of rigging so as to blackmail INEC to have their ways.
\nLet INEC not be under any pressure to prove anything to those that launder
\nthe silly blackmail of rigging as a way to box t to compromise. Let it
\nconduct its affairs in any way and manner that it deems credible to give
\nNigerians the best election they can be proud of. Whatever and however it
\nconducts itself in the new election days will prove whether the one-week
\nshift was well utilized or not. If it flunks on the job this coming
\nSaturday, it will be doubly yoked with shame and reproach. So, it is good
\nthat Nigerians have given INEC the benefit of the doubt (well do we have a
\nchoice?). INEC must reciprocate this gesture by giving us a damn good
\nelection and Nigerians know when an election is good or not. Let\u2019s make
\nthe coming Saturday election one to remember.<\/p>\n
Peter Claver Oparah<\/p>\n
Ikeja, Lagos.<\/p>\n