By Akanimo Sampson
The International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI), US civic groups, are deploying a joint international delegation to observe next year’s elections in Nigeria.
Checks by this reporter showed they have already conducted two joint pre-election assessment missions in July and September and the third this December. They timed the first two pre-election assessments to correspond with the off-cycle gubernatorial elections in Ekiti and Osun states in July and September respectively.
Watching the election process in the two states of Western Nigeria allowed the assessment missions to examine firsthand the impact of electoral reforms enacted since the 2015 elections. For instance, they noted that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) transmitted election results electronically from the polling units to collation centers in both Ekiti and Osun states.
According to them, ‘’this change in results transmission aimed to reduce vulnerabilities to errors and fraud that may occur when physically transmitting results. INEC also posted results within the polling unit at the end of voting.
‘’Two other important enhancements include the option for voters to re-register their fingerprints on the spot if the biometric verification technology is unable to read their fingerprints at the polling station, and the restructuring of ballots to accommodate the growing number of political parties participating in elections.
‘’Both pre-election assessment missions determined that Nigeria’s electoral stakeholders have made significant progress since 2015 to improve the prospects of free, fair, and credible elections in 2019. INEC published the electoral calendar well in advance of the election dates to reduce the level of uncertainty surrounding elections and to manage expectations for election preparations.
‘’Also during this cycle, INEC instituted continuous voter registration to increase the number of registered voters for the 2019 elections. Furthermore, the commission has invested in significant enhancements to biometric verification technology to reduce technological malfunctions on Election Day with the ultimate aim of fewer voters being turned away from the polls.
‘’The Access Nigeria Campaign and Centre for Citizens with Disabilities are leading advocacy initiatives for better inclusion of persons living with disabilities on Election Day, which has resulted in the adoption of INEC’s Framework on Access and Participation of Persons Living with Disabilities.
‘’INEC implemented some of these measures in the Ekiti and Osun state elections, such as the use of a Braille Ballot Guide and a form that counts voters with disabilities. Efforts by the International Federation of Women Lawyers to mitigate violence against women have the potential to increase women’s participation in the electoral process and deter psychological and physical violence that too often curtails their participation.’’
In the spirit of international cooperation, IRI and NDI’s joint assessment delegations offered multiple recommendations to electoral stakeholders in Nigeria as a means of enhancing citizen confidence and participation in elections and mitigating violence during and after the polls.1 With 72 days left to the elections, the following issues must be addressed urgently:
Despite consensus among electoral stakeholders on the approved amendments to the Electoral Act of 2010, President Muhammadu Buhari has refused to sign them into law.
The president’s refusal has prompted many citizens to question whether INEC will have enough time to implement the prescribed reforms in time for the 2019 elections, undermining citizen confidence in the credibility of the vote.
Furthermore, the National Assembly approved INEC’s budget months ago but the president has yet to sign the legislation, potentially delaying certain aspects of the electoral process requiring advance funding.
‘’There continues to be a lack of robust investigation and, where merited, prosecution of alleged vote buying, despite numerous instances reported by civil society groups. Improvements to electoral administration and procedure and a higher number of political parties vying for elected positions have enhanced political competition and narrowed margins of victory.
‘’Tighter political competition heightens the risk of political parties relying more intensively on unethical and illegal means to secure victory, including inappropriate voter inducement schemes and vote buying.
‘’Political parties are responsible for their campaigns and are obligated to follow the law. There is neither sufficient will nor incentive to remedy these issues, and thus vote buying will be a major issue, which could significantly erode the credibility of Nigeria’s 2019 elections.
‘’Much of this rhetoric contains false or unverified information or hate speech. For example, following the Osun election, social media was rife with false election results, which contributed to heightened tensions during and following the results announcement process.
‘’If political elites and the media do not make a concerted effort to prevent and condemn disinformation and use of hate speech the possibility of election-related violence will increase. I commend recent efforts by some Nigerian media houses to establish a means of fact-checking and publishing verified news stories.
‘’This initiative, however, will only address just one part of a much broader challenge of disinformation in Nigeria’s elections requiring a more concerted effort on the part of all electoral stakeholders. Nigeria’s persistent insecurity challenges, particularly in the Middle Belt and North East, in the pre-election environment is also a major’’, IRI and NDI said.
