Sunday Ani
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has blamed Nigeria’s electoral challenges on the attitude of politicians rather than absence of enabling legal framework.
He stated that as long as politicians continue with the attitude of cutting corners and encouraging thuggry during election, no amount of electoral reform would guarantee free, fair and credible election.
The INEC boss made the revelation during a Town Hall meeting organised by the Channels Television, yesterday, to look at the problems confronting election management ahead of the amendment of the electoral law by the National Assembly
He also noted that another major problem bedeviling the electoral body in its quest to deliver free and fair election to Nigerians is its inability to prosecute electoral offenders by the electoral body.
He stated that though it was the responsibility of INEC to prosecute electoral offenders, the electoral body does not have the capacity to do that because it lacks the capacity to carry out proper investigation.
“One of the conditions necessary to ensure that offenders are prosecuted and convicted is proper investigation, but we not have the capacity to embark on that.”
He also lamented that instead of consolidating on the gains of the previous elections, Nigeria is always experimenting because, “once an election cycle ends, politicians would devise means of undermining subsequent elections. So, instead of consolidating on the gains of one election, we are always experimenting new ideas to ensure that those who have perfected the art of undermining INEC’s efforts do not succeed.”
While calling on the government to muster the will and courage to confront the election challenges head on, he assured that with the cooperation of the National Assembly, INEC would succeed in its quest go give Nigerians free, fair and credible elections.
The former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, is of the opinion that the biggest problem of election management was implementation of electoral laws.
He agreed with the INEC boss that there were enough laws to guarantee free, fair and credible election but lamented that attitude issue is the major snag.
“You can’t legislate on attitude,” he said.
He lamented that interference by incumbent is another major problem facing election management in Nigeria.
“The inference of the incumbent is an issue. That is why I have advocated for a single term of office because the incumbent will always do anything humanly possible to undermine election in order to favour them.” he noted.
For the Board Chairman, Yiaga Africa, Dr. Hussaini Abdu, said as long as the political culture remains unchanged, any reform in the electoral system could only last for one election season before politicians would perfect ways of undermining future elections.