2011 election or re-orientation: the best solutions, best way forward
Prof. Attahiru Jega
INTRODUCTION: Ever since the Supreme Court in Nigeria ruled on December 12, 2008 that inter-alia a lack of serial numbers on our presidential ballot does not invalidate the election result, I have been psychologically hampered from making suggestions as to how we might improve our electoral process.
To ignore such a clear line-item in our electoral law: What else is there to disobey? As far as the dissenting judge Oguntade was concerned, there was NO election, simplicita, and that is what common sense should also dictate.
But Prof. Maurice Iwu’s displacement from, and Prof. Attahiru Jega’s appointment to the INEC Chairmanship, and some “body movements” of President Goodluck Jonathan, have put some slight wind back into my sail of suggestions.
So here goes….again….
MINIMUM SUGGESTIONS
In a companion essay, Festus Okoye has stated that ”Jega Owes Nigerians a Credible Voters’ Register.” However, I say that Okoye and all of us owe Nigeria, working closely with Jega, even more to effect all of Okoye’s great ideas (his six challenges) below.
QUOTE
(Okoye’s Challenge #1 to Jega) The first for him has to do with the voters’ register because no credible election can be conducted in this country without a credible voters’ register. The moment there is a problem with the voters’ register, there is already a problem. The existing voters’ register is not credible and the people believe it cannot produce credible election. He has to determine whether within the time available, it possible to have a new voters’ register.
UNQUOTE
Very true, so very true. So my own minimum suggestions on this one point – and many more – are as follows:
A. OLD VOTER REGISTER
(1) An army of university students (eg of the University of Abuja) should be deployed by INEC to visually inspect the current voters’ register and clean it up, removing:
(i) all duplicate name-and-picture entries, retaining only one of the duplicates;
(ii) pictures that are unclear, mismatched with age or gender or profession, or of of-color “celebrities” (like Mohammed Ali, Mike Tyson, etc.), but retaining the names, and flagging them;
and retaining all others.
B. NEW VOTER REGISTRANTS
(1) New voters should be registered, WITHOUT necessary requirement for pictures for 2011, due to cost and time exigencies. [They should return for pictures.]
(i) registration via Internet (no pictures required); must provide full name, age, gender, and ward; registration slip will be emailed back for printing.
(ii) registration via SMS (no pictures required); must provide full name, age, gender, and ward. Registration mumber for copying down
(iii) registration at each INEC office at the local government headquarters (pictures here); ID cawill be given.
(iv) registration at offices of selected NGOs and selected community organizations (like churches, mosques, etc.) on a ward-by-ward basis (no pictures required); registration card (no picture) will be given.
Alternate picture or corroboratory identification if available can be demanded at voting time – with such persons signing an affidavit in situ – particularly if more than one person shows up to vote for one name.
C. COMBINED VOTERS REGISTER & STATUS CHECK
(3) The combined voters register (after cleaning up old one and adding new ones), flagged with how each registrant registered and availability (or lack) of picture, should be made available,
(i) on websites; such that with name and Voter ID, a voter can check his or her own personal registration status;
(ii) to all political parties by DVD
(iii) at each INEC office at the local government headquarters; DVD and paper copies relevant to the Local Government;
(iv) to NGOs and selected community organizations (like churches, mosques, etc.) on a ward basis, with DVD and paper copies relevant ONLY to the ward
This eliminates the ridiculous proposition of requiring people to ascertain their registration status by inspecting names posted on village walls and latrines 
D. BALLOT PAPER
1. Pictures of ALL candidates – and ONLY those candidates – should be on the ballot paper for each particular election. [The idea of ONLY names of political parties, including even those that have NO candidates, should be absolutely unacceptable.]
2. There is really no need for constituency-coded (or state-color-coded) ballot papers once candidates’ pictures are on ballot papers.
E. VOTING DAY
1. All intending voters come to Polling Unit assigned with voters card, slip or a note-down of their voters ID number.
2. Those without INEC pictures – Alternate picture or corroboratory identification if available should be demanded at voting time – with such persons signing an affidavit in situ – particularly if more than one person shows up to vote for one name.
3. No electronic voting. Too much room for “wardrobe/electronic malfunctions”. A paper trail is important.
4. Voting should be by secret ballot, but ACCREDITATION should be as open as possible.
5. As this is purely an administration function, nothing in the Electoral Law TODAY prevents a June 12-like process for accreditation FOLLOWED by voting:
- accredit the majority of those who wish to vote between 7 am and 9 am;
- commence voting at 9 am – 12 noon.
- however allow those who come to accredit after 12 noon to also vote afterwards.
We really don’t need a new law for this.
F. COUNTING & ANNOUNCEMENT
1. Count and announce all results in-situ at each polling station
2. Audio-tape, video-tape and take still pictures of announcement and results board
3. Post the result at polling station so that it is available for inspection for at least one week after election.
FINAL POINTS
1. The power of an INEC Chairman is great to assign and re-assign electoral Commissioners – both national and state. So Jega can put his stamp of integrity on these commissioners. He has no excuses.
2. If Commissioners take their jobs simply as a Database Management function rather than a political job, it should be a relatively easy. It is only when (like Iwu) you have certain pre-determinations as to who should win certain results do you make moves:
(i) to prevent a certain candidate from running;
(ii) to prevent certain citizens from registering by hiding information as to where to register;
(iii) if registered, to prevent certain citizens from re-certifying their registration status;
(iv) if registered, to prevent them from voting by either hiding information of their polling units, or
preventing them from gaining access to them on election day;
(v) having voted, from ultimately disenfranchising them by announcing different results.
Just let the People vote for the Candidates of their Choice – that is Democracy, Attahiru & Company!
There you have it.
Bolaji Aluko
PS: Jega’s head must now be spinning with suggestions.
Source: SR
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