NIGERIA, Yar’Adua and Election Reform

I have just finished reading a story in which President Yar Adua said only credible elections will guarantee peace in Nigeria. Coming from a sitting president, this is commendable but an obvious reality that has faced Nigeria since the run up to independence. Flash back to the 1950s and ever since, Nigeria has hardly had an election without violence associated with rigging and other manipulations of the electoral process.
May we recall the Western Nigeria violence that preceded the coups of 1966? We learnt from history that it was the continued crisis that followed the parliamentary elections that led to the first coup in the country’s history. Or at least it gave the military a plausible excuse to interfere and dominate Nigeria’s politics until recently. We know the rest of that history.
One would not want to recall the failed promises of the Gowon era, or worse the charade of the Babangida years. The then military rulers took the country for a ride, toying with the interest and enthusiasm shown by Nigerians in 1992 leading up to nothing as the Abiola election was annulled. We do not want to remember the landslide victories of the Shagari era when NPN swept through the entire country, leaving a few pockets of victories for Awolowo’s UPN and NPP where they desired. Let’s also think back to 2003 elections and PDP and of course the 2007 million-vote margins of victories even where the turnout was hardly a hundred thousand.
These antecedents create apathy in the helpless public and breed violence among the more involved manipulable rabble. Besides, no incumbent party ever loses election in Nigeria. It is unheard of. They must rig and inflate numbers. They must win at all costs. The margins of victory are sometimes so absurd that you wonder at the brazen disregard for decency. Some of the last gubernatorial elections indicate such.
Nigerian elections also have the novelty of last minute substitution of candidates to favour party leaders’ choices. The last general elections had many such instances where voters would go in to vote for one candidate and ended up having their votes counted for someone different, substituted in the last minute.
The recent comment by Yar’Adua is commendable, if he seriously intends to do something about it. Also commendable is the setting up of electoral reform committees last year. However, past experiences with committees have not been encouraging. Nigeria needs to move faster than that. And it is ironic that Yar' Adua is making some effort given that the process that brought him to power has remained controversial and still sub judice. Yar’ Adua can begin by sacking the electoral commission and sending a bill to the National Assembly that creates a completely independent INEC with direct budgetary allocation and commissioners who cannot be sacked by the executive unless impeached by the Assembly. The same should be applicable to state electoral commissions for the purposes of local government elections.
Yar’ Adua should also encourage the independence of the judiciary.
Law enforcement is another subject matter.