INEC and its new chairman

Guardian Newspaper Editorial Opinion of Wednesday 2, June, 2010

THE euphoria that greeted the appointment of Prof. Attahiru Jega as the new chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is probably not misplaced, considering Jega’s antecedents as a civil society activist, academic and administrator. More importantly, there had been a strong yearning for change of leadership at INEC. This notwithstanding, the mere change of personnel will not automatically guarantee credible elections. There is a lot more that needs to be done by government, the political parties and the Nigerian people.
A professor of Political Science, until his new appointment the Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano (BUK) Jega is the first person from the northern states to preside over the country’s electoral body. A recipient of the Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) award, Jega 53, was appointed Vice Chancellor of BUK in November 2005. He holds a Ph. D in Political Science from Northwestern University, the United States. He was a member of the Justice Uwais-led Electoral Reform Committee and President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) between 1988 and 1994.
Locally, Nigerians including the major political parties, government functionaries, democracy and civil rights groups have hailed his appointment; abroad, democracy watchers are equally optimistic.
Jega was one of several persons nominated for the critical post. The National Council of State, the country’s highest advisory body unanimously approved his nomination, alongside the appointment of 10 national electoral commissioners and 18 Resident Electoral Commissioners.
Jega is expected to provide INEC with strong leadership and raise its standards, and ensure credible elections. It won’t be an easy task, but that is precisely what is expected. Jega needs to convince Nigerians that INEC under him will be fair and impartial to all stakeholders. The failure of the electoral commission has been a major sore point in Nigeria’s democratisation process. Regrettably, the federal government did not implement the Uwais committee’s recommendations, which, among others, stressed the independence and impartiality of INEC.
These are issues that the Federal Government would still have to address sooner or later. To start, INEC as an institution needs to be strengthened and revamped. Jega and his team will also have no excuse but to take full responsibility for any shortcomings associated with INEC under their watch. Nigerians want free and fair elections, beginning with the 2011 general elections; they want their votes to count, and the professional political class to show greater commitment to the common good, rather than narrow selfish, interests. For years, the international community has regarded Nigerian elections with suspicion and contempt. Political corruption such as we have witnessed in past elections damages the country’s reputation and stalls meaningful development in all spheres of national life. This trend must be checked.
Restoring public confidence in the ability of the electoral commission and its officials to protect the people’s votes, is one of Jega’s major challenges, moreso because his last four predecessors in that position had left office amid controversies and doubts. In the process, democracy as a popular form of government has been seriously compromised; and talks about dividends of democracy are perceived with suspicion. If every vote is meant to count, the process must begin with the voters’ register, which should be current, comprehensive and reliable.
Nigerians await the much-touted electoral reform, particularly along the lines recommended by the Uwais committee, with the expectation that the proposed amendment of the 1999 Constitution will invariably reshape INEC and achieve the objective of reform. INEC officials require training and capacity building opportunities and they should be so exposed.
Nigerians must also be vigilant and insist on best practices, both from INEC and the political parties, in order to check the endless machinations of desperate politicians and their cohorts, who are bent on corrupting the electoral system for their own selfish ends.
The National Assembly should eschew complacency and show more interest in the success of INEC. Questions have been raised for example about the political affiliation of some of the newly appointed INEC commissioners. The National Assembly should look into this and ensure that INEC is led only by men and women who can be trusted to do the job without fear or favour. Unfortunately, the members appear uninterested, perhaps because most of them benefitted from the flaws in past elections and the problematic electoral system. The country has a fresh opportunity for a new beginning, which should not be wasted. The next step is to ensure that the 2011 elections are free and fair and seen to be truly so.