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| el-Rufai: Voting at his polling unit |
BY NASIRU JAGABA
First of all, let me start by
congratulating the Citizens of Kaduna State, for violence free election in the
local government polls. The peaceful conduct of the citizens in Kaduna despite
the happenings that had shown clearly the desperation of persons in the
corridor of power to manipulate, overturn the result refused to give in to the
chaos but rather responded with all sense of maturity and confidence in the
sanctity of the ballot. Had Kaduna responded in similar desperation as shown by
the institutional riggers, perhaps curfew would have been slammed in several
areas which would have created the perfect cover for the malpractices to
happen.
The hate speeches and incitement
from the top government officials in Kaduna state government did not end on the
platforms for the campaigns alone but went further to reflect in the exercise
that held. There are several accounts going round about thugs accompanying some
officials to collation centres and chasing away officials and in most cases
enforcing doctored results to be announced.
The fraud which is already a
hallmark of the Governor Nasir el-Rufai led administration are
reasons obviously enough to
course breakdown of law and order, but Citizens conducted themselves in orderly
manner having in mind that there are peaceful and legal means for recollection
of stolen mandate. The election appeared
to be a war of conflicting interest between the principles of liberty against
autocracy, between the norms of moral influence against material force, between
the ideals of government by consent against a rule by compulsion. It is a clear
indication that the attitude of insatiable political imperialist, have created
a new class of aggressive nationalist who will not accept the old system of
oppression, unjust social order, social injustice, stratified inequality and unjust
political structure.
Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, in so many
fora faulted the whole Nigerian System including the electoral institutions and
promised the zealous Citizens a U-turn from what he called an evil system
despite his active participation in it. Against the anticipation of the people
however, he handed down a terrible legacy, the worst and most fraudulent Local
Government election since the creation of Kaduna State. Even the rigging
appeared comic and scandalously juvenile.
It would be recalled that the other time he
acted the status of publicity Secretary of militias and now flipped to be a
spokesman and de factor chairman of KADSIECOM. He is the announcer of election
dates, postponements, inconclusiveness and cancellations.
The general report show that the
electioneering materials arrived polling units very late; those who were trained
to operate the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) were replaced with different
choice candidates; observers lamented that
even the EVM is a waste of State resources because it has no database of
registered voters and no business with the PVC,
it cannot accredit or detect multiple voting; some polling units were denied the right to
vote as they waited in queue for the
whole day without the appearance of electoral officials and material only to
hear on radio someone announcing their result. Due to pressure on the side of
government to thwart election result in areas where they smelled defeat, disappearance was the means of survival to
so many returning officers. Any pulling
unit or collation centre that the returning officer disappeared, election
result were said to be compromised. Top government officials accompanied with
full armed security men and thugs were reportedly seen in collection centres
intimidating voters and stakeholders with tear gas which allowed snatching
election result sheets and abduction of returning officers only to go and
announced their desired figures and declaring their choice as winner.
Five days now some election result are yet to
be officially released because the flawed process was met with high
level of political consciousness especially in the South and Central senatorial
zone where voters safeguarded their votes. In the Northern Zone, the elections
have left some sour experiences which may not have gone down well with
political actors and exposing the need for more political consciousness and
voter education.
So many things went wrong with
the election. First was the poor funding for the electoral body which could not
sensitize voters on the electoral process, the commission was rather reliant on
activities of non-governmental organisations and the civil society to drive
down the voter education and the electoral process. There was no official
situation room to update the general public of happenings, neither was the
commission open to any feedback. In all, the electoral body acted militarily
and may not have done so outside the expectation of state actors’ interests
giving the fact that the electoral body is entirely independent.
Political observers have revealed
that, in spite of the N4 Billion expended in the exercise, the electoral
officials have not been paid for the allowances
due them for two day training conducted
for returning officers, four days for presiding officers and polling clerks.
Ad-hoc officials who have concluded their assignments faithfully are yet to be
paid a dime even as at the time of writing this piece.
According to the governor, 300 electronic
voting machines were procured which may give credence to the feedbacks from
people around Igabi where 10 polling units were reportedly denied their
franchise. In Kaduna state there are 255 wards with several polling units in
each, which clearly 300 machines cannot cover at a time.
What is more worrisome is that of
all the areas where the election was observed including where the governor had
voted, there was no secrecy of the balloting process which is a contravention
of the norm to protect voters through the secret ballot process. Voting was
done in public glare, and may have led to a lot of voters misguided in casting
their votes.
Yes, electronic voting may have
happened in Kaduna but the lessons are that the process could promote institutional
rigging, more fraud in the electoral processes. I will not forget to charge
Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission to bring to justice erring
electoral officials who have only succeeded in wasting tax payers funds.
KADSIECOM should also make public the financial accounts on the concluded
exercise. For a state like Kaduna to expend N 4 billion in an election is a
matter of concern especially when this outrageous figure is said to have saved
up N1.7 billion. This is not the first time local government election is
conducted in Kaduna. This account must be checked.
As Kaduna may be the laboratory
of what is to come in the forthcoming national elections in 2019, it is
important for concerned citizens to look into budget funding for the electoral
body-INEC. Poor funding is already costing citizens, time, money, jobs in the
pursuit to be registered. The rights are being turned into privileges as rural
dwellers, regular employees, traders, artisans are finding it difficult to
register all over Nigeria today.
Jagaba is President Network for the Rights of Indigenous and Marginalized People in Nigeria- Jagabanasiru@gmail.com
Jagaba is President Network for the Rights of Indigenous and Marginalized People in Nigeria- Jagabanasiru@gmail.com
Incisive, down to earth & evidence-based
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