The European Union Election Observation Mission (EUEOM) to Nigeria in its final report on the February and March 2019 polls, stated categorically that there was need for serious electoral.
In the same vien, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) also in its report said it had become very imperative for Nigeria to put in place measures that would help strengthen the electoral reforms system.
All the groups in their findings observed that the elections were characterised by acts of violence, intimidation, arrests of opposition party members, electoral officers and in some cases outright killings of opposition members and electoral officers by agents of the Federal Government, the Army and Police.
According to the observer teams, the 2019 general elections fall far below international standards and even below the 2015 elections which brought the present administration to power.
It then recommended that if Nigeria was to get it right, there was urgent need for national dialogue across party lines and that INEC should also thoroughly investigate and prosecute election officials who engaged in electoral offences.
They also asked the police and military hierarchy to investigate and sanction security personnel who violated the rules of engagement during the elections.
Basically, patriots who really care for the future of this country, called Nigeria will continue to be worried that despite the country’s almost 60 years of independence coupled with the experiences garnered in conducting elections, Nigeria is yet to get it right as electoral abuses get either more sophisticated or downrightly crude.
The harrowing experience a lot of people went through in some states and communities during the presidential elections did not give would-be voters much confidence that they will not be beaten, maimed or killed, that was why there was voter-apathy in subsequent elections, so the elections observers were not wrong in saying that there was an urgent need for reforms not only in the electoral process but also in the security aspect of the elections.
Although the reports are advisory, but they go a long way in ensuring that those who have listening ear to begin to question themselves over what went wrong and how to prevent those ugly incidents from re-occurring.
In 1999, the elections were generally peaceful but with few litigations and violence. Subsequent elections however were not so, with the 2019 election being described as the worst as some communities were even placed under siege.
A lot of questions need to be asked based on the election observers’ comprehensive report. One of such questions is whether a ruling party at can be trusted to conduct a free, fair and credible election without intimidation of opposition figures or the Judiciary.
What of the security agencies, what can we do to insulate them from being partisan during elections? All these question need answers and it behoves those at the helm of affairs at the top to live by example, obey judicial pronouncements and play by the rules.
It is only when we have a strong legislature; judiciary and an independent thinking security apparatus that there can be the rule of law and enforcement of court orders. Otherwise if the centre continues with the old ways of doing things, no amount of electoral reforms will bring anything positive in Nigerian body politics.
The average Nigerian politician is never a democrat. There is always this dictatorship tendency in them. Just check out the activities of most elected executives, be they presidents or governors. None of them really likes being criticised or losing out on elections or issues.
Until we curb or jettison some of these negative tendencies elections in Nigeria will continue to witness acts of violence across the country.
Even the Independent National Electoral Commission agreed with the submissions of the election observer teams and informed Nigerians that it had already embarked on its own internal review mechanism to check what went wrong and find possible ways of preventing future occurrence of some of the shameful acts which took place during the polls.
The chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Yakubu Mahmoud, said the recommendations provided by the election observer teams would form major inputs in the areas of reform expected to be submitted to the 9th National Assembly. But to some analysts, until there is the will to properly implement recommendations no matter the good intentions of INEC, a ruling party can still circumvent the law as election in Nigeria is seen as a do- or-die affair.
For us to get it right once more, it is only the voter population and the executive that can make true democracy a culture in Nigeria. The executive should start implementing or obeying lawful judicial pronouncements. Except that is done, for the next 20 years, we will still be running in cycles, still waiting for reports from foreign bodies on how we bungled our elections.
INEC should continue to do its part by preparing right now for the 2023 elections by ensuring that it takes cognisance of its past mistakes and work out modalities on how to ensure a hitch-free election in the future.
One of the excuses it gave was that the large number of political parties created a lot of logistic problems. According to the commission, something has to be done about the 91 political parties because they are on the high side and if the country is to organise a very successful election the numbers have to be pruned down.
But this excuse is just an afterthought because how come India with a voting population of about 960 million and 2,293 political parties get it right while in Nigeria it is always a nightmare?.
The challenge we face as a country is that we don’t think ahead of possible problems that mustcrop up and end up using the fire brigade approach to solve issues that might have been thought of and prepared ahead.
However, from reports across, INEC is reviewing its performance and when finally it has fully assessed itself and taken into cognition its shortcomings, it will finally put its act together.
The problem of election management does not solely, rest on the shoulders of INEC but also the political class. Our politicians should stop behaving like Area Boys and professional agitators and learn to be winners and losers this is because after 60 years of independence part of the legacies we should bequeath to the younger generation ought not to be ballot box snatching election rigging, violence and dictatorship.
Nigeria is greater than that.

Tonye Ikiroma-Owiye