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Some issues that have cropped up in the run-up to the crucial 2023 general election do not give room for cheers. Faced with the prospect of having a transparent election through the use of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and electronic transmission of results, desperate politicians appear to be plotting to scuttle the polls by creating ways through which they could manipulate the electoral process.
Recently, opposition political parties collectively known as the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) alleged that there were plots to truncate the electoral process by bypassing the use of the BVAS in the 2023 election. According to the spokesman of CUPP, Ikenga Ugochinyere, some governors were making frantic efforts to remove the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, and some of his national commissioners because every effort made to persuade them to drop the idea of using BVAS fell on deaf ears. The INEC senior officials were said to have insisted on using BVAS and transmitting the 2023 election results electronically.
In furtherance of the efforts to scuttle the smooth conduct of the all-important election, some politicians have reportedly gone to court secretly to stop the use of BVAS. Some have allegedly registered fake million voters which they intend to use to rig the election.
We are uncomfortable with this type of allegation trailing the forthcoming election. We caution those thinking of circumventing the use of BVAS or transmitting results of the election electronically to retrace their steps. The way things are, it will be difficult even for INEC to drop the use BVAS for the election. That technology, as the electoral umpire said, had come to stay. Many Nigerians now believe in it, the initial problems associated with it notwithstanding. As Prof. Yakubu had noted, it was known to have eliminated multiple accreditation and whoever was accredited was actually the voter and the bearer of the card. It has also increased public confidence in the outcome of elections.
As shown in the recent off-cycle governorship polls in Anambra, Ekiti and Osun states, it eliminated rigging significantly. The renewed interest in the electoral process by Nigerians is a testimony to the trust reposed in the BVAS. From 84 million registered voters in 2019, the number of registered voters for 2023 election has climbed to 95 million. Rather than stop BVAS usage, INEC should make efforts to improve its functionality. So far, the electoral umpire appears to be ahead of those who wish to derail democracy. Recently, it spotted and removed some 2.7 million double registrations from the last Continuous Voter Registration exercise. This was done through the adoption of the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS). But, one area INEC needs to watch closely is insecurity. INEC boss made reference to this when he spoke recently at a National Endowment for Democracy event in Washington DC, United States. According to him, the spate of insecurity in the country might affect the work of the commission. Though it is not new, Yakubu believes the dimension of the insecurity is new in the sense that in the past, it was confined to a particular part of the country – the North-East. But now, it is more widespread.
“We are keeping our eyes, particularly on the North-West and South-Eastern part of the country. Elections are conducted by human beings. We worry about the security of our officials, materials, and even the voters themselves. Without them, elections cannot be conducted,” he said. He added that security agencies had given assurance that the situation would improve before the election. So, they have kept their fingers crossed. Many Nigerians have their fingers crossed as well.
Nevertheless, it is good that efforts are being made not to disenfranchise any eligible voter in 2023. INEC has assured Nigerians that the new permanent voter cards (PVCs) would be ready by November 2022. The PVC is the power any voter has and without it, participation in the election is not guaranteed. There should be massive enlightenment campaigns for people to collect their PVCs. People’s votes must count this time and that starts with the collection of PVCs. Reports that PVCs are being buried in dumping sites in some cities should be thoroughly investigated. INEC must reassure Nigerians that the sanctity of the ballot in this election cannot be compromised and that it must keep an eye on its staff to ensure that the promise of President Muhammadu Buhari to bequeath a legacy of credible election to Nigerians is fulfilled.
