Sustainable Democracy And The Nigeria Project

With the appointment of Prof Attahiru Jega as the helmsman of INEC, a new chapter may have been opened in the nation’s electoral reforms process aimed at conducing a free and fair elections in 2011.

President Goodluck Jonathan, some would easily concede, appears to have made good his promise to kick-start institutional administrative and legal framework for a transparent and credible elections in 2011.

It is believed that with the appointment part of federal government’s desire to ensure that next year’s general elections will witness a radical departure from our ugly past, has began.

Already, pressures are mounting on the presidency to take a step further by retiring all serving electoral commissioners, especially those involved in the electoral bazaar in 1999, 2003 and 2007 general elections.

As much as one will not want to doubt the president’s determination to, for once, prove our critics wrong that Nigeria can hold elections that would be acclaimed worldwide as “fair and credible”, we really need to ask our s e I v e s whether or not the enabling environment has been put in place for a smooth, credible and transparent elections, come 201 1.

Proclamations and policy statements by the presidency, National Assembly, the electoral body (INEC) and other relevant stakeholders are not enough. We need the political will and commitment to depart from the ugly past to actualise our dream.

Nigerian leadership needs to purge itself of partisan politics and go for patriotism and national interest if we must succeed in this direction.

Besides, the political will on the part of the presidency, and the National Assembly must as a matter of necessity facilitate the process in tandem with realities on ground and conventionally acceptable global norms .

Besides, INEC, as an umpire must be made to be unbiased and independent and not necessarily taking tall “orders from above” to subvert peoples choices of candidates.

The voters’ register must be reviewed as the existing one no longer conforms with current realities. Rules, regulations and guidelines on elections must be rigidly adhered to and not bent to suit sectional or partisan interest.

Electoral officers need re-orientation and a complete departure from the existing order which makes them erroneously believe that power of incumbency and the ruling party interest must be protected always.

The security apparatus paramiIitary officers must play by the rules during elections.  Our security officers tend to naturally align with the ruling party or person in power either for gratifications. The police, State Security Service (SSS) and other military or paramilitary officers must play by the rules during elections, come 2011.

We must realise at all times that Nigeria is far greater than those temporarily in power and therefore must exhibit neutrality and fairness to all during elections.

The judiciary also has a major role to play towards a fair and credible electoral system. Apart from avoiding unnecessary injunctions and avoidable adjournments on electoral cases, the judiciary as the last hope of our fragile democracy must ensure that electoral disputes are dispensed off on time, possibly before winners are sworn into public offices.

Similarly, voters have a major role to play in our crave to achieve credible polls. They need not mortgage their conscience but insist on credible polls.

Hence, as the 2011 general elections draw closer, the presidency and other stakeholders must ensure that this time around, Nigeria evolves an electoral process that is transparent and credible and which will leave a lasting legacy in our political history.

Goodluck Ukwe