Anambra Poll: Litmus Test For INEC

With the stage set for the 36 candidates to slug it out in the Anambra state governorship election tomorrow, November 18, 2017, Nigerians are waiting with bated breath for a free, fair and transparent election process. Before now, there have been allegations of moves by stakeholders to subvert the electoral process.
First was the rumour of the interception of two truck load of sensitive materials in a hotel in the Okpuno axis of Awka. The rumour, which first surfaced on the social media, pointed fingers at the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) as the mastermind.
But the national Chairman of the party, Chief Victor Oye, quickly called together a press conference to authenticate the interception of the materials and also accused the opposition parties as being responsible.
Oye said the Police had possession of the confiscated materials, and that two persons, who were suspected to be members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were behind the importation of the materials. Oye said his party would not tolerate any form of rigging in the election and urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to remain resolute in the delivery of its promise of a free, fair and credible election.
But in what seemed like a funny twist to the entire situation, the Anambra State Police Commissioner and the Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Garba Umar and Dr. Nkwachukwu Orji respectively, faulted the report of the interception of electoral materials in Okpuno. While the Police Commissioner feigned ignorance of any such arrest in the state, the INEC REC insisted that its materials were not missing and could not have been intercepted in a hotel.
Another issue that has also rocked the political space was the recent interception of a voter’s register belonging to INEC in the possession of some politicians in the state. But again, the REC, Nwachukwu, who was presented with the register after it was retrieved from politicians, dismissed it as just a printout from the electronic copies.
Equally worrisome is the threat by the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to deal with anyone found voting in tomorrow’s election. The threat of IPOB seems to be more worrisome and catching the attention and reaction of the public.
As grievous as these issues are to the successful conduct of tomorrow’s election in Anambra State, The Tide holds that the success or failure of the election will largely depend on the commitment of INEC and security agencies to fairness to all and transparency in handling the election.
We believe that the outcome of the Anambra election will further testify whether the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) can truly conduct a free and fair election in Nigeria come 2019. More importantly, the election is crucial for the consolidation of stable democratic practices and harnessing of the potentials and endowments in Anambra State.
We recall that signals from the elections so far organised by the INEC under the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration have not given the nation cause for joy that Nigeria is out of the woods of corrupt electoral processes.
In fact, most elections organised by INEC under the APC- led Federal Government have been plagued by lack of credibility as the ruling party at the national level is widely believed to manipulate the process.
The governorship elections in Koji, Edo and Ondo states where the ruling party, through its Governors Forum, reputedly interfered with the process, leading to loud outcries by opposition parties and the public, gave a lot of room for concern.
The Anambra election is the third state wide election to be organised by the current Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmmed Yakubu, and expectations are high that INEC would this time discharge itself creditably.
Mindful of Nigeria where cynicism nurtured by opportunism and inordinate ambition of political contestants rules the day, we insist that the prospect of any “inconclusiveness” over the Anambra election should be banished by INEC with thoroughness and fairness in its conduct of the poll.
INEC should ensure that politicians are not given any room for shouting to the news media when technology disrupts election flows or certain hiccups occur. It should work hard to plug all loopholes and save itself any further embarrassment.
We equally call on the politicians in Anambra State to behave in a decorous manner if they are truly out for service to the people. The same peaceful manner they have conducted themselves during the campaigns must be applied during and after the casting of vote.
While we welcome the prompt intervention of President Buhari in checking the excesses of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris who suddenly withdrew the security details attached to the incumbent Governor, Willie Obiano, we condemn the meddlesomeness of the IGP in the electoral process.
We view the action of the IGP as an attempt by the ruling APC to emasculate the opposition and intimidate the electorate in favour of its candidate. The police and all other security agencies must apply themselves strictly to the rules.
Election is a process that has many components and stages. The election day is, however, the most critical, when INEC’s integrity can be easily compromised and outcome discredited. That makes the Anambra election a litmus test for INEC.