After twenty-four years of returning to a democratic system of government in Nigeria and having held seven rounds of elections at the federal and state levels, it is crystal clear that we are still far from getting our electioneering right, a lot still needs to be done for Nigeria to conduct free, fair and credible elections that the future generation can be proud of and sets us up for the consolidation of our democratic rules.
The last elections held in March 2023 were bewildered by so many irregularities ranging from poor politicking among the contestants, poor planning and implementation strategies by the INEC coupled with infrastructural failure, low voters’ participation in some areas, and electoral violence that almost marred the elections.
I have highlighted below a few ways to stage better elections in the future;
1. Political Party Ideology – the ideology of most political parties in Nigeria is set up to serve the personal interests of the politicians not the greater good of governance and the citizens. This is evidenced in the exorbitant cost of purchasing the nomination forms which is skewed towards the affluent. Most parties did not provide a level playing field for credible Nigerians who might be interested in contesting on their platforms. One can almost predict the winners of political slots even before the primaries were held. The parties need to build a friendly, creative, and transparent ideology that would engender fair play among all contestants. The parties need to make themselves attractive to the Nigerian youths to be involved in the business of politics.
2. Scrutiny of Candidates – Most contestants are often too big to be scrutinized by Nigerians prior to the elections and often shun public fora that aim to test their plans and readiness for governance. The Constitution needs to make provisions for contestants who win their party slots to be subject to public scrutiny just as has been done in developed countries.
3. Voters’ Education and Ownership – most Nigerians have a non-challant attitude towards elections, they do not have the sense of responsibility for electing and holding the officeholders accountable to deliver on their campaign promises. There is a massive need to educate the public on their roles in the electioneering process. The voters also need to cultivate the habit of periodic reviews of the performance of their officeholders. Any officeholder who does not perform well should not be given their trust for any future opportunities
4. Security – we often witness various security issues like ballot snatching, thuggery, intimidation of voters and acts of arson prior to, during and after the elections. Security agencies need to be adequately trained, empowered and in sufficient numbers to be able to cope with the demand of standard elections.
5. INEC, digitization, infrastructures – After overseeing several elections, INEC always seem not ready for any elections strategically and logistically despite the huge budget it commands for it. The process of appointing the INEC executives needs to be rejigged, there is a need for better digitization of election processes and operations, and partnership with logistics companies under the surveillance of law enforcement agencies would reduce the logistics issues.
6. Speedy Resolution of Post-Election Cases – The courts ranging from the elections tribunal to the supreme courts need to put in place faster processes for filing, hearing, and concluding election cases in good time. This would strengthen our democracy and limit the disruption of the election timetable. Technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain can be useful in this regard.
In conclusion, I strongly believe adopting an electronic voting system with adequate manpower, robust infrastructure and inclusive, fair and affordable electioneering processes would help us to consolidate our democracy.
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