Raging Debate Over INEC’s Preparedness for Landmark Polls
by OMEIZA AJAYI
Nigerian Mirror
Feb 8, 2015
Electoral management bodies world-over have the task of safeguarding the democratic process through a free, fair and credible election. OMEIZA AJAYI takes a look at the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and posits that with her antecedents, the commission still has a lot to do in proving its readiness for the general elections.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has a mandate to conduct the general elections which it has done for several years.
Different elections come with varying challenges, and so the experience in the 2011 election may not exactly be the same as what happened later this month.
For instance, INEC had used the Temporary Voter Cards TVCs for the 2011 elections but now, it is using the Permanent Voter Cards PVCs.
The PVCs, according to INEC are chip-based and “would guarantee eligible voters the right to vote during elections and ease the rigours of identification and authentication.”
The contract was awarded to Art Technology Limited, with the technical partner “Obature” in France, at the cost of N65 per card.
About N2.6 billion was earmarked for the production of 40 million cards in the first phase of the exercise with a projection that at least 73 million prospective voters to be captured in the whole exercise.
Unfortunately, voter education, with regards to the handling of the cards, is still very low, in spite of the huge funds expended on producing them.
Like the Automated Teller Machine ATM cards, the PVCs contain a magnetic panel. When the cards are kept with mobile telephone sets in one’s pocket, a lot of electromagnetic interaction might ensue and the cards can get damaged.
Consider for instance, what will happen when such card holders are unable to vote because somehow, their cards have been damaged. In an already tense atmosphere, such card holder might conclude that INEC is working in concert with some partisan interests to disenfranchise him.
Like Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyawu once said, “Any problem we have in Nigeria started with election. The entire crisis we had from independence has been as a result of election.”
Does INEC have the required staff?
The Commission seems to be lacking in trained and experienced staff while the few ones that are available appear not to be adequately motivated, as exhibited in their utterances and disposition.
For instance, INEC personnel who handled the Continuous Voter Registration CVR and the distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards PVC exercise appear ill-trained and poorly paid.
This is an irony when considered in view of the fact that the commission has continued to hold series of trainings for various stakeholders in the electoral process. The commission’s personnel obviously need even more training.
From Abuja to Lagos, it was one story of lamentation about the chaos that has become associated with the process.
In many of the registration points, there were no signs that the exercise was on as officials were not on ground.
Where INEC personnel were on ground, their stock-in-trade in many of those areas was impatience as well as verbal abuses of registrants. Simply put, many of them worked under the kind of pressure that they had never been exposed to and so, even the slightest inquiry from the public got them agitated.
From the first to the third phase of exercise, one recurring decimal has been the use of obsolete computers by INEC. It was a common thing to hear that the systems were down, just having been used to register less than 50 persons. For an exercise with a short deadline, such hiccups effectively ensured that many Nigerians were shut out of the process.
Despite its huge budget, INEC has refused to adopt measures that would make the process easier for Nigerians. First, in the case of the PVC distribution, some of the lists pasted by INEC were even torn before the glue dried. The names were neither listed in alphabetical or numeric order. This could be an indication of how the election result sheets would be handled in the polling units.
In many centres in Kogi State for example, the cards were just spread on the floor and one needed to join others on the floor to search for one’s cards.
Despite the declaration of a public holiday in the state on Friday, many registrants could not still find their cards. The situation is not different from states like Lagos, Plateau and Edo.
The card readers
No fewer than 150, 000 card readers are available for the polls. These readers which will be deployed in each of the 120, 000 polling units and thousands of voting points are “polling unit-specific” in that a card reader for one unit is not transferable to another.
INEC says the card readers cannot easily break down, and that even where they do, there is a back-up system in place.
Funding, not a challenge
Billions of naira have been expended so far by INEC and interestingly, the commission has recently come up to announce that funding was no longer a problem or a threat to the conduct of a free, fair and credible election.
At least, this is great news, but how INEC decides to spend its “envelope” will go a long way in ensuring the fidelity of the electoral process.
INEC set for free, fair and credible polls
Ahead of the general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has constantly assured Nigerians of free, fair and credible polls.
At a Strategic Level Discussion on securing the 2015 general elections held in Abuja recently, INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, maintained that regardless of the inability of INEC and relevant stakeholders to fully meet the aspirations of the citizenry by ensuring credible polls in past general elections, it was possible that the upcoming elections would differ as fraudulent practices would be reduced to the minimum.
He attributed past cases of electoral malfeasance to poor handling of electoral processes by some INEC officials, misbehaviour on the part of electoral participants, as well as the negligence of some security operatives in the line of duty.
Regrettably, in the past series of elections, Jega said the choice(s) of the voters were in most cases truncated either by the actions and inactions of the electoral commission or by the very aggressive and fraudulent conduct of participants in the electoral process or in some cases, and the documents and facts are there, the actions or inactions of security agencies who were supposed to secure the electoral process.
“Every opportunity we have, we have to re-assure Nigerians that in spite of the challenges, frustrations and the fact that things have been so bad for so long, democracy is worth it and the aspiration for free, fair and credible elections is a worthy aspiration”, he had said.
Jega assured that free, fair and credible elections are possible even though they are difficult.
Given the Nigerian environment, it may be difficult because things have been bad for so long but, to him, it is not impossible.
Jega is hopeful that the work that he and his team have done in INEC in the last four years has shown that with determination, with commitment, and with the support and encouragement of all key stakeholders, they can keep on improving the electoral process.
He further assured Nigerians that the polls would satisfy their need for a democratic dispensation, free of electoral irregularities to create a platform where a democratic political culture devoid of electoral malpractice.
The Chairman also called on relevant stakeholders in the electoral process including security agencies, to ensure diligent discharge of electoral duties.
Jega also regretted some delays and frustration on the part of many Nigerian,s who have participated in the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) and conduct of Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, adding that the Commission has used every opportunity to explain that “these were not deliberate, but occasioned by circumstances beyond our control.” He however gave assurance that before the February elections, all those who have registered will have their cards produced for them to be able to pick and exercise their civic responsibility.
Theses assurances were made in 2011, unfortunately, the polls still had to be shifted due to the absence of ballot papers in many polling units.
Is Jega under pressure?
One of the factors that can easily affect the fidelity of the electoral process is pressure from appointive authorities. Since Jega was appointed by the executive arm of government, it is often suspected that he could be goaded into doing certain things, which might be detrimental to the process.
In recent times, there have been strident calls for a shift of the elections, even as speculations were rife that Prof. Jega was under pressure to do so or risk being sacked.
Interestingly, the INEC Chairman has said that he is not under any form of pressure. Consequently, he should be able to bear responsibility for all his actions.
“Nobody is putting me under pressure to do anything wrong. May be they know it will not work. We are determined to do our best for our country”, he had said.
Jega had even threatened to resign, anytime such pressure comes up.
INEC has however stated that free, fair and credible elections do not entirely depend on the activities of the election management body alone, but also by cooperation and peaceful conduct of the political actors.
However, like he always says, no matter how well elections are conducted, if the outcome is conflict-ridden and characterised by violence, it will lose its essence of deepening democracy, and also undermine the credibility of the electoral process.
In furtherance of its objective of delivering free, fair and credible elections, INEC had also announced its readiness to engage past officers in electoral duties in a bid to tap from their wealth of experience.
Jega said since the 2011 general elections, improvements have been made in the electoral policies of the Commission, the objective being to ensure a more efficient and hitch-free electoral service delivery this year.
The INEC boss explained that many reforms and innovations in the electoral process of the Commission have been radically different from what many of us used to know, adding that the only way to tap from the wealth of experience of these past officers, is to assemble them for electoral duties, keep them informed of the current procedures and update them on reforms put in place by the Commission.
Probe of 2011 Elections
The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC on November 28 inaugurated a Committee to investigate the nullification of 19 elections conducted in 2011.
The elections were nullified for non compliance with the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) and for corrupt practices.
Inaugurating the Committee at a brief ceremony in Abuja, Jega, said the purpose of the Committee was to identify the staff behind the nullification to ensure they did not play key roles in the 2015 general elections.
The Chairman regretted that the assignment was coming late as 2015 elections approach, but expressed the hope that the Committee, made up of experienced lawyers would be able to complete the assignment within the time frame.
According to him, the Committee’s terms of reference are to examine the circumstances that led to the nullification of the elections as well as identify factors responsible for such nullifications.
Others are to identify permanent/or ad hoc staff or any other person or organisations who contributed to, or were responsible for the nullification of the election; apportion blames where necessary in relation to the conduct of the elections; and recommend disciplinary measures against any permanent or ad-hoc staff responsible for, or who contributed to the nullification.
The committee is also to recommend sanctions to other organisations in respect of persons not being staff of the Commission and recommend ways to avert such occurrences in future elections.
The committee was to submit its report within four weeks from the date of inauguration.
Although, that report has been submitted, the sledgehammer has not been wielded against those culpable in manipulating the process.
Indeed, the assignment is coming late. It is uncertain how the commission intends to review the report of this committee within few days to the general elections.
INECs seeming lack of adequate preparation accounts for, perhaps, why some stakeholders have called for the postponement of the election.
While there is no doubt that the commission has a lot in its hands, there is certainly room for improvement over past elections. The level of awareness is now so high that any semblance of bias on the part of INEC is likely to be met with fierce resistance by the voting public.
Nigerian Mirror
Feb 8, 2015
Electoral management bodies world-over have the task of safeguarding the democratic process through a free, fair and credible election. OMEIZA AJAYI takes a look at the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and posits that with her antecedents, the commission still has a lot to do in proving its readiness for the general elections.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has a mandate to conduct the general elections which it has done for several years.
Different elections come with varying challenges, and so the experience in the 2011 election may not exactly be the same as what happened later this month.
For instance, INEC had used the Temporary Voter Cards TVCs for the 2011 elections but now, it is using the Permanent Voter Cards PVCs.
The PVCs, according to INEC are chip-based and “would guarantee eligible voters the right to vote during elections and ease the rigours of identification and authentication.”
The contract was awarded to Art Technology Limited, with the technical partner “Obature” in France, at the cost of N65 per card.
About N2.6 billion was earmarked for the production of 40 million cards in the first phase of the exercise with a projection that at least 73 million prospective voters to be captured in the whole exercise.
Unfortunately, voter education, with regards to the handling of the cards, is still very low, in spite of the huge funds expended on producing them.
Like the Automated Teller Machine ATM cards, the PVCs contain a magnetic panel. When the cards are kept with mobile telephone sets in one’s pocket, a lot of electromagnetic interaction might ensue and the cards can get damaged.
Consider for instance, what will happen when such card holders are unable to vote because somehow, their cards have been damaged. In an already tense atmosphere, such card holder might conclude that INEC is working in concert with some partisan interests to disenfranchise him.
Like Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyawu once said, “Any problem we have in Nigeria started with election. The entire crisis we had from independence has been as a result of election.”
Does INEC have the required staff?
The Commission seems to be lacking in trained and experienced staff while the few ones that are available appear not to be adequately motivated, as exhibited in their utterances and disposition.
For instance, INEC personnel who handled the Continuous Voter Registration CVR and the distribution of the Permanent Voter Cards PVC exercise appear ill-trained and poorly paid.
This is an irony when considered in view of the fact that the commission has continued to hold series of trainings for various stakeholders in the electoral process. The commission’s personnel obviously need even more training.
From Abuja to Lagos, it was one story of lamentation about the chaos that has become associated with the process.
In many of the registration points, there were no signs that the exercise was on as officials were not on ground.
Where INEC personnel were on ground, their stock-in-trade in many of those areas was impatience as well as verbal abuses of registrants. Simply put, many of them worked under the kind of pressure that they had never been exposed to and so, even the slightest inquiry from the public got them agitated.
From the first to the third phase of exercise, one recurring decimal has been the use of obsolete computers by INEC. It was a common thing to hear that the systems were down, just having been used to register less than 50 persons. For an exercise with a short deadline, such hiccups effectively ensured that many Nigerians were shut out of the process.
Despite its huge budget, INEC has refused to adopt measures that would make the process easier for Nigerians. First, in the case of the PVC distribution, some of the lists pasted by INEC were even torn before the glue dried. The names were neither listed in alphabetical or numeric order. This could be an indication of how the election result sheets would be handled in the polling units.
In many centres in Kogi State for example, the cards were just spread on the floor and one needed to join others on the floor to search for one’s cards.
Despite the declaration of a public holiday in the state on Friday, many registrants could not still find their cards. The situation is not different from states like Lagos, Plateau and Edo.
The card readers
No fewer than 150, 000 card readers are available for the polls. These readers which will be deployed in each of the 120, 000 polling units and thousands of voting points are “polling unit-specific” in that a card reader for one unit is not transferable to another.
INEC says the card readers cannot easily break down, and that even where they do, there is a back-up system in place.
Funding, not a challenge
Billions of naira have been expended so far by INEC and interestingly, the commission has recently come up to announce that funding was no longer a problem or a threat to the conduct of a free, fair and credible election.
At least, this is great news, but how INEC decides to spend its “envelope” will go a long way in ensuring the fidelity of the electoral process.
INEC set for free, fair and credible polls
Ahead of the general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has constantly assured Nigerians of free, fair and credible polls.
At a Strategic Level Discussion on securing the 2015 general elections held in Abuja recently, INEC Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega, maintained that regardless of the inability of INEC and relevant stakeholders to fully meet the aspirations of the citizenry by ensuring credible polls in past general elections, it was possible that the upcoming elections would differ as fraudulent practices would be reduced to the minimum.
He attributed past cases of electoral malfeasance to poor handling of electoral processes by some INEC officials, misbehaviour on the part of electoral participants, as well as the negligence of some security operatives in the line of duty.
Regrettably, in the past series of elections, Jega said the choice(s) of the voters were in most cases truncated either by the actions and inactions of the electoral commission or by the very aggressive and fraudulent conduct of participants in the electoral process or in some cases, and the documents and facts are there, the actions or inactions of security agencies who were supposed to secure the electoral process.
“Every opportunity we have, we have to re-assure Nigerians that in spite of the challenges, frustrations and the fact that things have been so bad for so long, democracy is worth it and the aspiration for free, fair and credible elections is a worthy aspiration”, he had said.
Jega assured that free, fair and credible elections are possible even though they are difficult.
Given the Nigerian environment, it may be difficult because things have been bad for so long but, to him, it is not impossible.
Jega is hopeful that the work that he and his team have done in INEC in the last four years has shown that with determination, with commitment, and with the support and encouragement of all key stakeholders, they can keep on improving the electoral process.
He further assured Nigerians that the polls would satisfy their need for a democratic dispensation, free of electoral irregularities to create a platform where a democratic political culture devoid of electoral malpractice.
The Chairman also called on relevant stakeholders in the electoral process including security agencies, to ensure diligent discharge of electoral duties.
Jega also regretted some delays and frustration on the part of many Nigerian,s who have participated in the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) and conduct of Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise, adding that the Commission has used every opportunity to explain that “these were not deliberate, but occasioned by circumstances beyond our control.” He however gave assurance that before the February elections, all those who have registered will have their cards produced for them to be able to pick and exercise their civic responsibility.
Theses assurances were made in 2011, unfortunately, the polls still had to be shifted due to the absence of ballot papers in many polling units.
Is Jega under pressure?
One of the factors that can easily affect the fidelity of the electoral process is pressure from appointive authorities. Since Jega was appointed by the executive arm of government, it is often suspected that he could be goaded into doing certain things, which might be detrimental to the process.
In recent times, there have been strident calls for a shift of the elections, even as speculations were rife that Prof. Jega was under pressure to do so or risk being sacked.
Interestingly, the INEC Chairman has said that he is not under any form of pressure. Consequently, he should be able to bear responsibility for all his actions.
“Nobody is putting me under pressure to do anything wrong. May be they know it will not work. We are determined to do our best for our country”, he had said.
Jega had even threatened to resign, anytime such pressure comes up.
INEC has however stated that free, fair and credible elections do not entirely depend on the activities of the election management body alone, but also by cooperation and peaceful conduct of the political actors.
However, like he always says, no matter how well elections are conducted, if the outcome is conflict-ridden and characterised by violence, it will lose its essence of deepening democracy, and also undermine the credibility of the electoral process.
In furtherance of its objective of delivering free, fair and credible elections, INEC had also announced its readiness to engage past officers in electoral duties in a bid to tap from their wealth of experience.
Jega said since the 2011 general elections, improvements have been made in the electoral policies of the Commission, the objective being to ensure a more efficient and hitch-free electoral service delivery this year.
The INEC boss explained that many reforms and innovations in the electoral process of the Commission have been radically different from what many of us used to know, adding that the only way to tap from the wealth of experience of these past officers, is to assemble them for electoral duties, keep them informed of the current procedures and update them on reforms put in place by the Commission.
Probe of 2011 Elections
The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC on November 28 inaugurated a Committee to investigate the nullification of 19 elections conducted in 2011.
The elections were nullified for non compliance with the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) and for corrupt practices.
Inaugurating the Committee at a brief ceremony in Abuja, Jega, said the purpose of the Committee was to identify the staff behind the nullification to ensure they did not play key roles in the 2015 general elections.
The Chairman regretted that the assignment was coming late as 2015 elections approach, but expressed the hope that the Committee, made up of experienced lawyers would be able to complete the assignment within the time frame.
According to him, the Committee’s terms of reference are to examine the circumstances that led to the nullification of the elections as well as identify factors responsible for such nullifications.
Others are to identify permanent/or ad hoc staff or any other person or organisations who contributed to, or were responsible for the nullification of the election; apportion blames where necessary in relation to the conduct of the elections; and recommend disciplinary measures against any permanent or ad-hoc staff responsible for, or who contributed to the nullification.
The committee is also to recommend sanctions to other organisations in respect of persons not being staff of the Commission and recommend ways to avert such occurrences in future elections.
The committee was to submit its report within four weeks from the date of inauguration.
Although, that report has been submitted, the sledgehammer has not been wielded against those culpable in manipulating the process.
Indeed, the assignment is coming late. It is uncertain how the commission intends to review the report of this committee within few days to the general elections.
INECs seeming lack of adequate preparation accounts for, perhaps, why some stakeholders have called for the postponement of the election.
While there is no doubt that the commission has a lot in its hands, there is certainly room for improvement over past elections. The level of awareness is now so high that any semblance of bias on the part of INEC is likely to be met with fierce resistance by the voting public.
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