Challenges of free and fair elections towards 2011 general elections

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CHALLENGES!OF!FREE!AND!FAIR!ELECTIONS!TOWARDS!2011!GENERAL!
ELECTIONS!
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STRUCTURAL!PERSPECTIVES!
Challenges!of!free!and!fair!election!in!any!democratic!setting!could!best!be!
viewed!against!the!structural!setting!of!the!environment!i.e.!the!electoral!
management!bodies!involved!in!the!conduct,!supervision!regulating!and!
adjudicating!over!all!elections!in!that!jurisdiction.!
Election!Management!Bodies!and!Democratic!System!Of!Government!
Election!management!bodies!occupy!a!strategic!position!in!the!electoral!
process!and!by!implication!are!decisive!for!the!success!of!any!democratic!system!
of!government.!Since!they!are!charged!with!the!responsibility!of!organizing!
elections,!their!omission!or!commission!could!make!or!mar!elections.!
This!paper!examines!the!challenges!of!free!and!fair!election!and!the!
relationship!between!election!management!bodies!and!the!institutionalization!of!
democratic!governance.!The!focus!is!that!an!independent,!impartial,!transparent,!
effective!and!efficient!electoral!management!body!is!a!prerequisite!for!the!
institutionalization!of!a!viable!democratic!political!system.!
The!variables!which!determine!a!credible!election!management!bodies!are:!
Independence,!Transparency!and!Impartiality.!

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CONCEPT!OF!IMPARTIALITY!
Impartiality!is!another!variable!which!determines!the!credibility!of!election!
management!bodies.!Members!of!election!management!bodies!are!human!beings!
and!are!likely!to!have!their!party!preferences.!However,!such!preferences!should!
not!in!any!way!affect!their!official!duties.!
!Care!should!be!taken!while!recruiting!temporary!staff!who!are!employed!
during!registration!and!election!exercises!to!ensure!that!card!carrying!or!dieHhard!
partisans!are!not!recruited.!This!can!be!achieved!through!a!careful!screening!
exercise.!
An!impartial!election!management!body!deals!openly!and!on!equal!terms!with!
each!political!party.!This!is!to!ensure!that!each!party!has!equal!access!to!the!state!
–!owned!media,!freedom!to!campaign!and!respect!by!candidates!and!parties!of!
limits!set!for!campaign!expenses.!
NEEDS!TO!SITUATE!ELECTORAL!MALPRACTICES!!
There!is!a!general!need!to!situate!the!prevalence!of!electoral!malpractices!
in!an!amoral!political!culture,!whose!thrust!is!antiHdemocratic!in!significant!ways,!
and!which!shows!general!indifference!to!the!desecration!of!the!electoral!process,!
whereas,!much!lip!service!is!paid!to!upholding!the!sanity!of!the!electoral!
process,!the!full!weight!of!the!law!is!not!generally!and!typically!brought!to!bear!
on!those!who!desecrates!it,!except!in!some!rare!cases;!nor!has!the!moral!outrage!
voiced!by!some!being!channeled.!!Again,!except!in!a!number!of!rare!cases,!into!
outbursts!of!spontaneous!collective!political!and!social!action!or!the!expression!of!

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people’s!power!within!the!ambit!of!the!law!that!would!shame!and!
penalize!perpetrators!of!electoral!malpractices!and!deter!wouldHbeHperpetrators.!
PAINS!OF!ELECTORAL!LITIGATION!
The!situation!is!understandably!fed!by!the!tardy!and!expensive!nature!of!
the!country’s!judicial!process!and!a!legal!culture,!which!deliberately!encourages!
violation!of!the!spirit!of!the!law,!through!taking!advantage!of!ambiguities!in!the!
letter!of!the!law!and!hiding!behind!procedural!technicalities!in!the!judicial!
process!to!frustrate!and!prolong!litigations.!The!result!is!a!cynical!resignation!and!
a!general!disenchantment!with!the!electoral!process.!
The!need!for!Nigerians!to!stand!and!defend!their!suffrage!irrespective!of!
intimidation!of!any!sort!is!imperative.!We!must!be!ready!to!create!and!strategize!
to!create!a!democratic!men!and!women!in!the!country!that!will!be!ready!to!
defend!their!votes.!
In!handling!this!subject!at!hand,!I!feel!challenged!because!of!my!experience!
as!a!victim!of!election!fraud!which!spanned!about!four!years!in!my!state.!!In!fact,!I!
feel!more!challenged!because!I!had!an!insider!account!of!the!details!of!the!
intricacies!and!politics!of!election!crisis!in!Ekiti!State!in!the!last!few!years.!!Coming!
from!the!background!of!a!politician!who!shares!similar!experience!with!Governor!
Adams!Oshiomhole!on!mandate!stealing!through!the!mighty!powers!of!the!ruling!
party!at!the!Federal!level,!it!is!incumbent!upon!me!to!share!my!experiences!and!
what!I!consider!the!viable!options!for!electoral!sanctity!in!our!country!Nigeria.!
The!credibility!or!otherwise!of!electoral!process!becomes!one!major!factor!
that!determines!the!acceptability!index!of!a!nation!in!the!wider!comity!of!nations!

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where!respect!for!the!choice!of!the!people!!in!electoral!process!
has!contributed!greatly!to!the!economy!wellHbeing!and!social!security!of!the!
people!in!Africa.!
!In!recent!history!in!Africa,!we!have!seen!that!played!out!in!South!Africa!and!
Ghana.!!In!these!countries,!not!only!has!the!modern!world!seen!that!these!two!
countries!hold!much!promise!for!their!people,!but!also!that!they!have!become!a!
reference!point!as!a!model!of!transparent!electoral!process!in!African!continent.!
For!Nigeria,!sadly!one!of!the!countries!that!gained!early!independence!from!
colonial!rule,!the!stories!that!have!emerged!are!sad!memories!of!electoral!frauds,!
which!had!led!to!sudden!changes!in!government!with!the!succeeding!
governments!posting!worse!results!in!the!conduct!of!elections.!!For!instance,!
while!the!Western!Region!parliament!poll!fraud!led!to!a!crisis!that!snowballed!
into!the!emergency!rule!that!triggered!further!crisis!in!the!First!Republic!that!
eventually!led!to!the!civil!war,!the!Second!Republic!election!that!Nigerians!
thought!would!mark!a!beginning!of!electoral!sanity!turned!out!to!be!a!veritable!
impetus!for!the!military!takeHover!of!government.!!Massive!electoral!heists!in!
various!parts!of!the!country!and!the!backlash!in!people’s!angst!was!what!the!
military!needed!to!sack!the!Second!Republic.!
What!could!have!been!a!safety!valve!was!truncated!by!the!military!when!it!
annulled!the!freest!and!fairest!election!in!June!1993.!!What!followed!were!mere!
selections!of!candidates!by!godfathers!in!the!primaries!which!further!set!the!tone!
for!desperation!by!the!contending!parties!in!which!case!the!parties!controlled!by!
moneybags!and!vested!interests!always!carry!the!day!against!the!current!of!
people!preference,!which!further!erodes!the!confidence!of!the!people!in!the!

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sanctity!of!the!ballot!box.!For!example!in!Nigeria!in!2007,!the!
Party!that!controlled!the!commending!height!of!the!Federal!authorities!made!no!
pretence!about!its!insistence!on!abridging!the!right!of!the!people!in!the!choice!of!
their!leaders.!!Votes!were!allocated!to!the!candidates!of!the!ruling!Party!at!the!
detriment!of!more!popular!candidates!in!opposition!Parties.!
Litigations!of!the!election!tribunals!clearly!showed!that!things!were!not!
working!according!to!the!expectations!of!Nigerians!who!desired!transparent!
process!of!electoral!contests.!!Several!years!after!the!poll,!those!who!fraudulently!
found!their!ways!to!the!seat!of!power!were!illegally!directing!the!affairs!of!their!
states!using!state!funds!to!prosecute!their!cases!at!the!tribunals.!!While!impostors!
closed!their!eyes!to!the!shame!they!have!brought!upon!themselves!and!the!
nation,!the!highly!partisan!and!irresponsible!electoral!umpire,!the!Independent!
National!Electoral!Commission!(INEC),!did!not!help!matters.!
Often!in!handHinHglove!with!the!ruling!Party,!INEC!under!Prof!Maurice!Iwu!
showed!itself!as!the!worst!in!the!supervision!of!electoral!contests!in!Nigeria.!
The!victory!we!celebrate!today!in!Edo!State!is!one!singular!relish!of!
electoral!fraud!by!the!ruling!Party!in!cahoot!with!the!electoral!umpire.!!By!the!
Appeal!Court!ruling,!Comrade!Adams!Oshiomhole!clearly!won!his!election!in!2007!
only!for!him!to!retrieve!his!mandate!two!years!after.!
The!period!of!litigation!in!court!in!Edo!State!clearly!showed!the!sideHeffect!
of!illegitimacy!marked!by!decayed!infrastructure,!mismanagement!of!funds!and!
general!dislocation!in!the!governance!process!as!we!have!seen!in!Kenya!in!
December!2007,!and!in!Cameroon!and!Zimbabwe!in!2008.!The!same!played!itself!

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out!in!Ekiti.!!From!our!experience!in!the!last!few!days!after!our!
inauguration,!decayed!infrastructure!hallmarked!almost!four!years!administration!
in!Ekiti!State.!
Indeed,!the!worst!form!of!electoral!fraud!manifested!in!the!2009!rerun!in!
the!Ekiti!State!governorship!election!in!which!I!was!the!prime!victim.!!That!
singular!sordid!experience!put!Nigeria!on!the!hall!of!infamy!in!election!process!
across!the!world.!!Widely!criticized!as!the!worst!form!of!poll!management!in!the!
choice!of!the!people’s!leaders,!the!world!rose!in!unison!to!put!a!question!mark!on!
Nigeria’s!image!as!a!country!that!can!take!a!front!in!modelling!democracy!a!
system!of!government!that!can!drive!a!free!and!just!society,!which!of!course!is!
one!factor!that!in!turn!drives!development!and!growth.!!It!is!however!gratifying!
that!the!revelation!at!the!election!tribunal!and!the!perseverance!of!Ekiti!people!
gave!them!victory,!which!was!celebrated!across!the!globe.!
But!all!these!inadequacies,!both!manHmade!and!human!errors,!which!have!
hampered!Nigeria’s!march!to!electoral!Promised!Lands!can!be!taken!care!of!if!
deliberate!policies!and!measures!are!put!in!place.!!Even!though!reform!process!
that!could!cleanse!the!conduct!of!election!in!Nigeria!was!instituted,!what!we!have!
seen!thereafter!clearly!pointed!out!that!Nigeria!as!a!nation!has!missed!the!mark.!!!
It!is!however!regrettable!that!after!the!efforts!and!funds!expended!on!this,!
what!can!be!said!today!about!that!initiative!is!a!resounding!loss!of!faith.!!This!is!
more!so!as!the!authorities!of!government!that!ought!to!add!fillip!to!the!rebuilding!
of!acceptable!conduct!of!elections!are!themselves!stumbling!blocks!in!the!way!of!
free!and!fair!elections..!!For!example,!the!National!Assembly!has!thrown!out!
Justice!Mohammed!Uwais!recommendation!on!the!appointment!of!INEC!leaders!

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by!the!National!Judicial!Council!(NJC),!which!should!have!served!
as!a!neutral!organ!of!government!in!charge!of!recruiting!capable!hands!in!election!
management!instead!of!leaving!the!appointment!in!the!hands!of!a!partisan!
President!!whose!choice!of!INEC!officials!!is!first!condition!for!suspicion!among!the!
opposition!parties.!
As!it!stands!today,!particularly!in!reference!to!the!last!rerun!election,!it!is!
clear!that!deliberate!measures!have!to!be!!put!in!place!for!a!free!and!fair!elections!
in!2011,!as!it!is!believed!that!it!is!not!the!electoral!laws!that!are!actually!
responsible!for!the!inadequacies!in!our!election!process!but!the!actors,!most!
often!!in!the!ruling!Party!who!employ!do!or!die!tactics!to!subvert!the!people’s!will.!
They!do!this!through!devious!manipulation!and!government!machineries!!at!their!
disposal.!!These!elements!are!still!around,!which!further!hightens!fears!that!2011!
polls!may!as!well!succumb!to!the!evil!machinations!of!dorHorHdie!politicians.!
Indeed,!what!actually!bothers!the!minds!of!Nigerians!is!that!those!who!
should!ordinarily!act!as!statesmen!and!vanguards!of!social!change!are!themselves!
the!architects!of!the!current!sorry!state!of!our!electoral!process.!!For!instance,!
former!President!Olusegun!Obasanjo,!who!Nigerian!State!has!so!much!invested!in!
for!both!personal!comfort!and!robust!international!stature!later!turned!against!
Nigerians!by!getting!himself!involved!in!unbridled!manipulation!of!state!power!to!
strangulate!electoral!space.!!In!his!avowed!commitment!to!that!sordid!agenda,!
Obasanjo!declared!to!the!bewildered!Nigerians!that!2007!general!elections!would!
be!a!doHorHdie!affair.!!What!truly!followed!during!the!elections!was!an!audacious!
poll!robbery!through!thuggery,!ballot!stuffing,!votes!manipulations,!compromise!

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of! INEC! officials! ! through!intimidation,! complicity! by!
security!agencies!in!favour!of!the!ruling!Party,!particularly!as!witnessed!during!
rerun!poll!in!Ekiti!State.!
In!fact,!Ekiti!State!rerun!in!which!I!was!a!prime!victim!provides!me!with!
enough!insight!on!the!challenges!the!nation!may!face!in!2011!elections.!!What!
reinforces!this!line!of!thought!is!that!even!though!the!!late!President!Umaru!YarH
Adua!admitted!that!his!election!was!fraught!with!irregularities!!and!indeed!set!!up!
an!election!reform!panel!to!fineHtune!!the!nation’s!electoral!process,!what!
followed!in!the!few!States!!where!rerun!or!byeHelections!were!held!even!with!
Professor!Attahiru!Jega!at!the!driver!seat!gives!no!hope!that!we!may!not!witness!a!
worst!scenario!in!the!next!election.!
It!is!in!this!light!!that!Nigerians!!must!insist!on!minimum!standard!that!guarantees!!
the!sanctity!of!the!ballot!box,!which!of!course!remains!the!vehicle!for!a!stable!
government!!that!in!turns!guarantees!socioHeconomic!development.!!The!Ekiti!
State!scenario!under!Mr!Segun!Oni!has!produced!!enough!evidence!that!the!
problem!of!illegitimacy!is!unquantifiable.!!Apart!from!litigations,!the!fear!of!the!
unknown!unsettles!the!man!on!the!driver’s!seat,!thereby!limiting!his!scope!of!
developing!strategies!to!address!the!state!problems.!
Part!of!this!is!the!issue!of!seeking!favours!in!many!quarters.!!This!goes!with!
unnecessary!application!of!state’s!funds!to!seek!favours!from!both!real!and!
imagined!influence!peddlers.!
To!guide!against!the!identified!lapses!in!2011!general!elections,!all!these!
problems!need!to!be!tackled!and!new!strategies!!evolved!for!Nigerians!for!once!to!

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beat!their!chests!that!indeed!they!are!in!the!starting!block!to!
grow!democracy!for!social!change!and!development.!
The!challenges!of!free!and!fair!elections!are!indeed!enormous.!!They!start!
from!the!outset!of!electoral!process!namely!party!primaries.!!The!challenge!we!
face!through!party!organs!on!this!is!great.!!We!have!the!problem!of!manipulating!
the!choice!of!party!candidates!through!overbearing!attitude!of!political!
godfathers!and!manipulation!of!the!entire!process!to!achieve!preHdetermined!
ends.!!This!manifests!in!the!circumvention!of!the!provisions!of!party!constitution!
to!secure!undue!advantage!in!the!process!of!selecting!delegates!that!would!elect!
party!candidates.!!This!is!already!creating!a!serious!problem!in!the!ruling!party!at!
the!Federal!level.!!It!should!be!noted!that!the!current!stalemate!in!the!second!
amendment!to!the!Electoral!Act!is!as!a!result!of!foisting!an!agenda!that!would!
make!for!direct!delegates!to!participate!in!the!election!of!candidates.!By!this!
arrangement,!personal!aides!and!political!appointees!would!become!delegates!for!
the!selection!of!party!candidates.!!This!of!course!can!only!lead!to!an!advantage!in!
favour!of!the!Principals,!which!!questions!the!credibility!of!the!choice!of!!
candidates!by!the!!appointing!bosses!who!call!the!shots.!!The!desperation!that!
goes!with!this!is!unquantifiable.!!Apart!from!limiting!the!scope!of!people’s!choice,!
the!candidates!that!emerge!through!this!process!often!become!willing!tools!in!the!
hands!of!those!who!plotted!their!ascendancy.!!We!have!seen!this!in!Ekiti!State!
where!we!had!no!evidence!that!Mr!Segun!Oni!had!any!agenda!other!than!to!
satisfy!the!whims!and!caprices!of!those!that!foisted!him!on!the!people.!
More!troubling!is!the!law!governing!elections!in!Nigeria.!!As!we!speak,!no!
one!is!sure!of!how!the!new!Electoral!Law!will!look!like!except!that!at!the!moment,!

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the!most!crucial!element!in!the!election!reform!process!has!been!
thrown!out!by!the!National!Assembly!whose!members!believe!that!having!a!truly!
independent!electoral!umpire!will!undermine!their!return!to!power,!hence!the!
rejection!of!the!recommendation!in!the!Mohammed!Uwais!report!!making!the!
Nigeria!Judicial!Council!the!recruitment!authority!of!INEC!officials!to!guarantee!
the!independence!of!INEC.!
One!other!element!critical!to!free!and!fair!elections!is!the!voter!
registration.!!As!seen!in!Ekiti!State!in!the!April!27,!2007!election,!the!problem!of!
underage!registration!and!multiple!registration!set!the!tone!for!election!
manipulations.!!This!clearly!showed!at!the!tribunal!hearings!of!the!litigation!that!
arose!from!the!fraud!that!characterized!that!election.!!In!some!of!the!registers,!it!
was!discovered!that!multiple!registration!led!to!the!inaccurate!number!of!voters.!!
The!tragedy!of!this!is!that!such!fraud!did!not!arise!out!of!human!error!but!a!
deliberate!plan!by!politicians!to!have!numerical!advantage!in!election!results.!!For!
instance!in!Ifaki!Ekiti,!Mr!Segun!Oji,!who!usurped!the!powers!of!Governor!for!
almost!four!years,!registered!!in!more!than!one!place.!!In!one!place,!he!was!
registered!as!an!artisan!while!in!the!other,!he!registered!as!a!civil!servant.!!This!
and!other!several!instances!were!revealed!at!the!tribunal!hearing.!
Closely!related!to!this!is!the!problem!of!adequate!time!for!credible!
registration.!As!we!speak,!no!one!is!sure!as!to!when!voters!registration!will!
commence.!Apart!from!the!bureaucratic!bottleneck!that!dogs!the!award!of!
contract!for!the!!Direct!Data!Imaging!for!voter!registration,!the!ability!of!the!
contractors!and!reliability!of!the!machines!are!not!what!can!be!guaranteed!at!
least!for!now.!!What!this!can!expose!the!system!to!is!an!adHhoc!arrangement!

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including! the! use! of! the!discredited!!voters’!register!to!
conduct!2011!general!elections.!
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Even!if!the!equipment!and!other!logistics!are!well!on!ground,!one!other!important!
factor!Nigerians!must!contend!with!is!INEC!personnel.!!As!we!saw!in!Ekiti!State!,!
particularly!during!rerun!election,!it!is!clear!that!the!most!daunting!challenge!
facing!the!electoral!umpire!!today!is!the!crisis!of!credibility!on!the!part!of!INEC!
officials.!
With!particular!reference!to!Ekti!rerun,!we!all!saw!the!shame!that!characterized!
the!entire!conduct!of!the!elections.!!For!instance,!Mrs!Ayoka!Adebayo,!who!was!
the!Ekiti!Resident!Electoral!Commissioner,!in!the!midst!of!the!announcement!of!
the!results!refused!to!conclude!the!declaration!of!the!results,!citing!pressures!to!
announce!fake!results.!!She!resigned!and!went!into!hiding!!only!for!her!!to!emerge!
days!later!after!she!was!declared!wanted!by!the!Federal!authorities!to!announce!
the!result!she!had!earlier!rejected.!
Also!at!the!tribunal!hearings!were!revelations!over!official!complicity!!by!INEC!
officials.!!It!was!clear!through!the!pieces!of!evidence!by!INEC!officials!that!they!
were!choreographed!to!follow!same!pattern!of!evidence!presentations.!!But!for!
the!ingenuity!of!the!prosecuting!counsel,!some!INEC!officials!would!have!gone!
away!with!their!fake!evidence!during!cross!examination!sessions.!
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More!intriguing!was!the!collaboration!between!the!security!agencies!and!INEC!
officials!particularly!as!seen!in!Ido!Osi.!!The!security!agents!literally!provided!cover!

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for!INEC!officials!to!perpetrate!fraud.!!!For!instance,!as!the!PDP!
thugs!set!fire!on!INEC!building!at!Ido!Ekiti,!the!security!agents!watched!on!in!
ecstasy.!!And!during!tribunal!hearing,!police!declared!that!the!building!was!burnt!
by!unknown!men,!even!as!a!PDP!member!testified!that!he!led!a!band!of!thugs!
that!set!the!building!on!fire!as!policemen!watched!because!the!arsonists!were!
PDP!members.!
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Even!though!all!these!atrocities!were!reported!by!the!monitoring!teams!
comprising!NGOs,!members!of!international!agencies!and!journalists!,!it!was!clear!
that!these!observers!were!overwhelmed!by!the!inadequacies!of!INEC!in!providing!
a!conducive!environment!for!the!observers!to!functions!optimally.!!For!instance,!
some!remote!parts!of!certain!areas!could!not!be!accessed!by!the!observers,!and!
most!of!these!areas!were!fertile!grounds!for!election!manipulations.!!It!was!
therefore!not!surprising!that!in!some!voting!centres!t,!the!number!of!accredited!
voters!were!less!than!the!results!returned.!!In!other!words,!the!results!returned!
were!higher!than!the!number!of!those!physically!present!to!vote!during!the!
election.!
!
Another!problem!is!the!avalanche!of!corruption!charges!against!the!Judges!of!the!
election!petitions!tribunal.!!The!Osun!State!presented!a!bizarre!spectacle!of!
shame!and!corrupt!conduct!of!the!election!petition!tribunal!Judges.!!In!the!first!
tribunal!that!tried!Raufu!Aregbesola’s!case!incontrovertible!evidence!!was!proved!
in!the!discovery!of!correspondence!between!the!defence!counsel!and!the!Judges.!!
In!a!drama!that!shocked!Nigerians,!the!calls!log!of!MTN!was!shown!where!the!

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defence!counsel!within!the!hours!of!court!hearing!were!exchanging!
text!messages!with!the!Judges!on!the!direction!to!follow!during!the!crossH
examination.!!This!led!to!the!quashing!of!the!tribunal!judgement!for!another!
tribunal!to!be!set!up!to!retry!the!petition.!
!
If!Osun!case!was!!bizarre,!the!Ekiti!case!was!intriguing.!Against!the!run!of!common!
sense!and!application!of!law,!the!Judges!freely!awarded!reliefs!to!the!law!
breakers!in!the!case.!For!instance,!the!Judges!said!the!ACN!members!burnt!the!
INEC!office!even!when!evidence!by!a!PDP!member!incontrovertibly!suggested!PDP!
thugs!torched!the!building.!!He!was!never!cross!examined!to!discredit!his!
evidence.!
!
INEC!official,!Innocent!Akao,!in!open!court!disowned!the!results!declaring!Mr!Oni!
as!the!winner.!!The!Judges!also!said!Mrs!Ayoka!never!resigned!even!though!the!
police,!a!coHdefendant!in!the!case,!admitted!that!the!woman!actually!resigned!
and!was!declared!wanted!to!defend!the!allegations!in!her!resignation!letter.!!
Figures!in!unsigned!or!altered!documents!were!awarded!to!the!defendant!by!the!
Judges,!and!all!evidence!of!violence!was!overlooked!!by!the!Judges!in!favour!of!
the!defendants.!
All!these!lapses!militated!greatly!against!the!transparency!of!the!2007!elections!
and!the!rerun!polls!that!followed.!
!

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To! mitigate! all! these!shortcomings,! therefore,! the!
institutions!of!electoral!process!must!be!strengthened!to!ensure!credible!polls!in!
2011.!!This!must!start!with!internal!democracy!within!the!parties!to!ensure!
credible!primaries!to!elect!party!candidates.!!Credible!primaries!will!ensure!the!
elimination!of!imposition!of!candidates!by!godfathers.!!The!proposed!
amendments!to!the!Electoral!Act!must!be!credible!enough!to!ensure!the!right!of!
party!members!!and!voters!generally!to!freely!vote!for!candidates!of!their!choice.!
It!is!gratifying!that!Governor!Adams!Oshiomhole!actually!started!the!crusade!for!
free!and!fair!balloting!through!his!oneHman!oneHvote!crusade.!!This!initiative!is!
commendable!as!it!remains!the!only!option!that!can!generate!stable!democracy!
in!our!country.!
!
All!encumbrances!on!the!way!of!effective!sourcing,!deployment!and!application!of!
equipment!for!voter!registration!must!be!checked!and!effective!security!of!these!
equipment!maintained.!To!ensure!credible!conduct!of!INEC!officials,!recruitment!
strategies!must!be!strengthened!to!ensure!that!only!nonHpartisan!Nigerians!are!
on!board!of!INEC.!!This!is!where!Uwais’!report!is!relevant.!The!NJC!should!be!put!
in!charge!!of!recruiting!credible!Nigerians!to!conduct!elections.!
!
It!is!also!important!that!the!functions!of!the!security!agencies!in!election!
monitoring!be!redefined!to!insulate!them!from!partisan.!!Among!this!is!to!hold!
the!security!agents!accountable!for!all!the!lapses!in!the!areas!where!they!
supervise!elections..!!Also!relevant!is!the!training!of!the!NGOs!in!election!

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!15!
monitoring!activities!while!they!are!equipped!with!necessary!
tools!to!carry!out!their!duties!particularly!in!difficult!terrains.!
It!is!also!important!to!introduce!Election!Offences!Tribunals!to!try!election!
offenders.!!This!will!act!as!a!check!on!the!activities!of!election!riggers.!
More!importantly,!oneHman,!oneHvote!crusade!must!be!taken!to!all!corners!of!the!
country.!
!
These!are!the!challenges!we!face!today!in!our!nation!as!we!march!to!strengthen!
the!institutions!of!democracy!for!economy!growth!and!progress.!!The!challenge!is!
more!daunting!because!there!are!road!blocks!on!the!way,!some!of!which!are!
deliberately!created!by!politicians!who!are!averse!to!decent!way!of!conducting!
men’s!affairs.!!It!is!a!challenge!we!face!both!individually!and!collectively!to!build!a!
society!that!can!raise!its!head!in!the!comity!of!nations!that!are!today!dictating!the!
pace!in!shaping!policies!for!growth!and!development!across!the!globe!
!
Another!election!is!around!the!corner,!just!about!five!months!to!come,!the!
INEC!chairman!Prof.!Attaihiru!Jega!said!his!biggest!problem!is!time!and!not!
money.!Many!have!argued!that!the!timeHtable!for!the!polls!is!just!too!narrow!for!
any!meaningful!result!to!be!achieved,!but!the!biggest!headache!of!the!majority!is!
neither!the!time!nor!the!money,!it!is!whether!Nigeria!can!indeed!hold!credible!
polls.!Will!the!country!make!vote!rigging!unattractive?!Will!the!electorate!look!
away!from!the!fleeting!offers!of!bribe!from!desperate!politicians!to!vote!as!their!
conscience!leads!them?!!

16. !
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Will!they!vote!and!insist!that!their!votes!must!count?!
Will!the!authorities!do!everything!possible!to!break!the!jinx?!
Or!will!we!walk!the!Oshiomole,!Mimiko!and!Fayemi!path!again?!
Never!and!never.!
Governor!Oshiomhole,!ladies!and!gentlemen,!I!thank!you!very!much!for!
giving!me!this!opportunity!to!once!again!ventilate!what!I!know!about!the!crisis!of!
confidence!we!have!about!electoral!process!in!the!country.!!It!is!hoped!that!all!the!
issues!raised!shall!be!of!immense!advantage!for!us!to!rethink!Nigeria!where!
opportunities!are!provided!for!the!citizens!to!rediscover!themselves.!It!is!only!in!
the!atmosphere!of!freedom!that!we!can!release!our!entrepreneurial!potentialities!
to!grow!our!economy!for!the!survival!of!our!great!country!Nigeria.!
!
Thanks!and!God!bless!you!all.!!!
!
Dr.!Kayode!Fayemi.!
2010!
!