Ekiti: Another Attempt At Free, Fair Poll

NUMEROUS assurances that Saturday’s gubernatorial election in Ekiti would be free and fair, are not enough to address fears that malpractices could mar the election. The serial failure of the police and Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, in stopping electoral malpractices has reached a point where their assurances elicit indifference.

Both organisations have mandates to deliver free and fair elections. They have on all occasions failed. Excuses, some too incredulous to contemplate, are available to absolve them from their responsibilities.

INEC, in more than 15 years of handling different elections, repeats its mistakes. At general elections, the general excuse for late arrival of electoral materials is the enormity of the logistics involved.

The challenges persist, with more money, more personnel, more vehicles. During the 2012 governorship election in Edo State, materials arrived hours late to polling booths in Benin City, the distribution points for materials. The use of helicopters, vaulted as answer to late delivery of materials, made no difference. Added to these are allegations that INEC staff facilitate rigging.

Soldiers and the police were in the streets in their numbers in Edo. They did not stop violence. They allegedly contributed to it. How would Ekiti be different? When would INEC be tired of its experiments with run-off and one-off elections like this?

The police on their part boast about deployment of hi-tech security equipment, surveillance helicopters, armoured personnel carriers, patrol vans and other law enforcement gadgets to Ekiti State for the gubernatorial election, as if these had in anyway improved security.

Elections are becoming more “militarised”. The deployment of three surveillance helicopters, 40 armoured personnel carriers, a reinforcement team of police personnel, amphibious vehicles and other high-tech security gadgets would only frighten the voters.

“We have one of the highest numbers of men deployed more than in any other State because we must look at history,” Inspector-General of Police Mohammed Abubakar said, referring to the 1983 elections. “Every one of you will be given his due and, I do not expect you to do anything stupid,” he told his men.

INEC says it has customised election’s result sheets; a cure for rigging, the permanent voter’s card is the panacea for names missing from voters’ register.

Elections are high budget items. Large deployments of men and materials are to justify budgets than ensure credibility of the election.

Keys to malpractices; free election are contestants who rein in their supporters, security personnel who do not “do anything stupid”, and INEC punishing offenders for election malpractices.

Without the punishments the Electoral Act provides, assurances from INEC and police merely sustain impunity. Ekiti would be different if people know they would be held responsible for malpractices.

 

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Ekiti: Another Attempt At Free, Fair Poll