Those who will make or mar 2015

I have never wavered in my self-chosen crusade to ensure that the 2015 elections are successful. Indeed, every patriotic Nigerian has an obligation to make the elections free and fair. I have been an active player in, at least, the last five general elections – 1993, 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011.

This places me in a vintage position to offer useful tips on how to make things work smoothly. Unfortunately, however, some commentators on national issues have dabbled at discussing elections in Nigeria without having adequate insight.

They do this for diverse reasons: some for selfish, pecuniary benefits and yet some just for the sake of being public analysts and, therefore, can say or write gibberish.

Whichever divide these armchair commentators find themselves the truth remains that our national survival supersedes our egoistic and parochial aspirations. Short of sounding immodest, I can state without any equivocation that I have always approached politics with a deep sense of duty and self-sacrifice.

In fact, my decision to participate in politics stemmed from an innate desire to contribute to the socio-political development of Nigeria. Self-enrichment or any other personal benefits have never been a part of the reason.

After all, I was a very successful international businessman ever before I ventured into politics. In 1993, for instance, I contested election on the ticket of National Republican Convention (NRC) to represent Bende Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

I won with a margin of 75.8%. In 1999, I contested and won the governorship seat in Abia State with almost 78% margin of total votes cast. I was re-elected in 2003 with a higher margin. From my resume, it is easy to see that I have the experience and commitment to advise the government and other agencies of government on the best way out of our present quagmire. As far as I am concerned the success of the 2015 elections is the most critical challenge facing Nigeria.

It is one election to which the continued existence of our dear nation is tied. Therefore, it will amount to a grievous mistake for us as a people to downplay its significance and take everything for granted. Much as I have implicit faith in the indivisibility of Nigeria we must not be complacent. There are numerous reasons we should not be lethargic about 2015. The first is that Nigeria is facing serious security challenges, which may have far-reaching impact on the forthcoming elections.

Second is the agitation by the north for power to return to that region, which is already heating up the polity. Third is the heterogeneous configuration of our nationalities, with each squaring up for the hottest position – as a matter of right. Fourth is the precedent already set by the election umpire of deferring to the government in power in the execution of its assignment. Fifth is the winner-takes-all disposition of Nigerian politicians, which makes them apply the crudest means to achieve their selfish goals, thereby making elections in Nigeria more of war than game.

The sixth and final one (though the list is inexhaustible) is the role security agencies play at elections. From the reasons adduced above it is easy to outline the problems of organizing elections in Nigeria and the roles played by some individuals and agencies of government in making or marring them. Look at the first reason – security.

It poses about the most difficult challenge to the effort to conduct free and fair elections generally. Even in times of peace we have never been able to achieve a crisis-free election, let alone now that security has fallen to the lowest ebb. There was rumpus in 2007 general elections, because of the inglorious activities of militants in the Niger Delta Region.

With the advancement of Boko Haram and upsurge in criminal activities across the country the prospects of conducting free and fair election grow dimmer. Forget the assurances and niceties by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) it does not enjoy liberty or autonomy required to put into practice what it preaches.

INEC, I wish to state without fear of criticism that lack of autonomy for INEC is the problem of successive efforts to get things right. Its staff had been a pain in the neck as some of them colluded with politicians in the past to shortchange Nigerians. The situation would have grown worse if not for some of the reforms introduced by Attahiru Jega.

I have been a victim of INCE’s tardiness in election conduct and so do many other Nigerians. How does anybody expect INEC to conduct free and fair elections when government is breathing down its neck? So long as INEC draws its funds directly from government it may not be able to fully meet the expectations of Nigerians. How then can we get INEC to be alive to its responsibility and be above board? My suggestion may sound radical but it is the only way out: INEC’s chairman should be given freedom to discharge his duties without fear, let or hindrance.

Again, the composition of future membership of the commission should be drawn from each geopolitical zone and submitted to the National Assembly for screening and ratification.

In addition, the duty to appoint the helmsman of INEC should be shifted to the National Assembly, instead of the present practice of allowing the executive to handpick who heads the commission.

We must take a closer look at the dates of holding elections. The practice in the past had been for the presidential and governorship elections to hold the same day, while the National and State Assembly elections hold on another day. This practice had caused countless problems and tripled costs.

My suggestion is that all elections should be conducted the same day as is done in other countries. Even smaller countries such as Ghana and Senegal had at one time or another successfully implemented it. Why not Nigeria – the most populous black nation in Africa? The benefits of holding all elections in one day are numerous: it saves cost, affords the political parties level playing field, reduces violence and election rigging, stimulates voter enthusiasm, removes undue pressure on INEC, etc.

The reduction in the number of political parties makes the holding of all elections in one day less cumbersome for INEC. Lest I forget: it is wrong for anybody to expect INEC to champion the cause of two-party system. It role over the parties is purely supervisory. It is the prerogative of Nigerians to decide if there should be a two-party system or not.

There is no provision anywhere in the current constitution for a two-party system. It is important to advise INEC, at this juncture, to do away with the idea of using local government headquarters as central collation centres. Instead it should designate some colleges or secondary schools for this purpose. It has been observed that local government chairmen use their headquarters to rig elections by shutting out opposing political parties.

What of electronic voting? How feasible will it be to apply it in 2015? It is feasible if the right infrastructure is put in place. The most critical infrastructure is steady power supply, followed by operability of the equipment. It is sad that literacy level in Nigeria, especially among the rural population, is still very low. And this will make it difficult, if not almost impossible, to operate such a complex system now.

The House of Representatives Committee on INEC made a futile attempt to press it upon INEC to introduce electronic voting in the 2015 elections, at least, on experimental basis. My position does not detract from the fact that we can start gradually to try out the electronic voting mechanism as is done in other countries.

Nigeria has the capacity to operate the electronic voting system if we can summon the political will to do so. To be honest, it is one of the surest ways to fight vote-cheating and manipulation during elections.

From the generous attention given to INEC in this piece it is a simple fact, therefore, that the success or otherwise of 2015 rests squarely on it. This is why the commission must shun making itself available to politicians to be used as a pawn in the chessboard. INEC officials should bear in mind the collateral harm they cause our nation and its people whenever they deviate from the objective for which they were appointed to serve.

They should place nation above self and work for the common good. Another group that has a huge role to play to make or mar 2015 general elections is the security agencies. No election in Nigeria can succeed without adequate security.

However, the security agencies have not lived up to expectation, especially in recent times. Some of the security agencies have played infamous and degrading roles at elections. 2011 elections exposed the rot in the system. It is not my intention to treat such security matters on the pages of newspaper, but I wish to urge the President, as the Commander-In-Chief, to ensure that the army is not drafted to perform electoral functions henceforth. Elections are purely a civil matter that should be left for civilians.

Drafting the military, as was done in 2011, into election matters is injurious to their image and exposes them to undue influence. Where the police are used they should be made to operate within the confines of the law and in total compliance with their operational codes. Any policeman that works at cross-purposes with laid down procedures, particularly when serving as an instrument of coercion and intimidation, should be sanctioned.

The personnel of the Secret Service (SS) should be deployed to monitor elections, with a special mandate to arrest and prosecute any person, including security operatives, who indulges in illegal activities. This is the only way to guarantee the sanctity of the elections. I must commend the SS for its diligence and maturity during elections.

It is the only security agency yet to be beaten by the bug of election-cheating. The north has a big part to play too in ensuring the success of 2015. The current agitation for return of power to the north is causing ripples across the country, threatening the continued existence of Nigeria. As I wrote in this column two weeks ago: the death of President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua upset the nation’s political equation, leading to alignments and realignments afterwards. It is only a fool will not see the writing on the wall.

Let nobody deceive us: power has changed hands from north to south and it is only fair it goes round. It is safe to conclude that the South-South, let alone President Jonathan, could not have got power at the time they did if President Yar’Auda had not died.

At least, President Yar’Adua would have been doing the last lap of his second tenure, if not for the cold hand of death that snatched him away. What that means is that we have to live with the current reality and stop making unnecessary fuss.

I believe strongly that it is God that gives power. And it is only Him that can decide who the cap will fit in 2015. All the struggles and squabbling for 2015 are uncalled for, because they are all within the premise of uncertainty. Who knows who will survive till 2015? Have our politicians ever thought of the ephemeral nature of life? If they do, then they will appreciate that the man you see today, you may not see tomorrow. This is why I apply caution and commonsense to whatever I do.

I see politics purely as a means to serve and not to be served. Sadly, our current political players see politics as an avenue for self-enrichment and an instrument of harassment of one’s enemies. It is for this reason that bad blood and other forms of wickedness have been the lot of our politics. This brings us to the President himself. If you do not know: the success or failure of any government depends largely on him. It is his vision and attitude to it that determines which direction the nation’s socio-economic policy is skewed.

If the President is committed to free and fair polls in 2015, so shall it be. If he thinks otherwise or if he allows his personal ambition to get in the way then the whole thing will be messed up. Nevertheless, I have no doubt that this president is committed to the success of 2015. He has no reason not to be. After all, the system he inherited has been kind to him.

He, therefore, owes us a duty to make it work. The whole nation is waiting for him to indicate his interest in 2015. I know, in due course, he will take a decision that will be to the overall interest of Nigeria. The politicians themselves have been at the centre of the whole rot in the system.

It is they that bribe INEC personnel and the security agencies to compromise their duties, train thugs and other miscreants to perform illegal duties (the most notorious being ballot-box -snatching) on election’s day, and do other obnoxious things to achieve their selfish ends. If politicians conduct themselves honourably, then we are sure of getting positive results at the end of the day. As things stand, they can only do what they are expected to do if stringent measures are put in place to serve as a deterrent.

The language Nigerian politicians understand is force. It may sound absurd, but imagine what will happen, if the electoral law is amended to make provision for life sentence for election-rigging. Your guess is as good as mine. The last set that holds the ace to 2015 are the voters themselves.

They owe this nation an obligation to vote in accordance with their conscience and defend their vote. But how many people vote according to their conscience? Voters regrettably pander to the whims and caprices of politicians, forgetting that at the end of the day they are the people to bear the brunt. Why do elected people dump voters as soon as elections are over? The reason is simple: they get their reward upfront. The situation will be different if voters vote for men and women of integrity whom they can hold accountable at all times.

This is why voters should emulate the courage demonstrated by some women in Edo who threatened to go naked should anybody tamper with their votes during the recent governorship election there. Generally speaking, the prospects for 2015 are looking up: things are gradually falling in place. The Federal Government is tackling the Boko Haram menace and other security challenges frontally. It is believed that by the turn of next year the situation will have improved significantly.

As we wait and hope for the best in 2015, let us not forget that God helps those who help themselves. We must stand up today and say no to election-rigging, corruption and ethnocentricity in order to salvage our nation from its current drift to self-perdition.