Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is facing a very crucial national test. He will either acquit himself creditably or bungle the historical assignment.
His immediate predecessor, Prof. Attahiru Jega, failed the test. Jega began his assignment in high spirits. Coming immediately after the reign of Prof. Maurice Iwu, who was unjustifiably maligned as INEC chairman, Jega thought he was going to do a better job. During his heyday on the seat, Jega carried on with a certain air of incorruptibility. You would think that he would never be persuaded to do the wrong thing.
But the 2015 election was his Achilles heel. It exposed his underbelly. Jega failed to deliver on free, fair and credible polls. He fell prey to primordial tendencies. He was coopted into the fold of those who wanted the then President, Goodluck Jonathan, to go by all means. To ensure that the task was accomplished, Jega compromised the process while Jonathan watched morosely. At the end of it all, the complacency that held Jonathan captive at the time did not allow him to act. Jega got away with his misdeeds. That is why Jega haughtily passes himself off today as the INEC chairman that delivered on his assignment. But we know he did not. His sins were practically covered up by the anti-Jonathan mood of the moment, which the opposition made a fetish of. Jonathan, in his last days, made himself an orphan at the Presidency. His pain at that time was self-inflicted. Those who ought to have had sympathy for him looked the other way. They simply allowed him to lick his wounds.
Mahmood Yakubu is now the man of the moment. What will he do with this election that promises to give us a new Nigeria? This question should agitate his mind, that is, if he intends to bequeath a legacy that Nigerians will be proud of. I honestly would like to treat Yakubu on his own merit. In fact, I would not like to see any Jega in Yakubu. It is just that Yakubu, like Jega, appears serious-minded. Both cut an image of sincerity. Like Jega as well, Yakubu presents himself, in words and in action, as a straight player. He likes to always leave us with the impression that he can be trusted. But Jega failed those of us that believed him and his outward displays. Should we trust Yakubu and his avowals about credible and transparent polls in 2023? We express this reservation because, as William Shakespeare would tell us, there is no art to find the mind’s construction in the face. This notwithstanding, we will not distrust Yakubu.
We will also not accuse him of anything. He has not committed any. We will rather give him the benefit of the doubt, with the hope that he will not dash our hopes.
The bottom line in all of this is that Yakubu has a date with history. This is because Nigeria has not, since 1999, witnessed a tripodal contest such as the one we have on our hands. The country has also not experienced an election in which a third party presidential candidate has phenomenally risen to preeminence with the real and potent threat of displacing the candidates of the two main and established political parties.
That is not all, for the first time in the history of elections in Nigeria, the people are being told that their votes will count. This has led to the mad rush for permanent voter cards. Before now, the greater majority of Nigerians have never cared a hoot about exercising their franchise at elections. But now, the reverse is the case. An overwhelming majority of the Nigerian voting population want to step out to cast their votes on Election Day.
The reason for their growing interest has already been stated. They have been promised by INEC that their votes will count. But much more than that, the introduction of technology by the commission is giving them hope. The impression they get is that elections can no longer be manipulated now that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS) has been put in place.
According to Yakubu, “votes will continue to count and will be the sole determinant of the electoral outcome.” He has also said that the commission will deploy appropriate technology “to protect the sanctity of the choice made by Nigerians at the polls.” The commission is also promising that BIVAS will be aided by the INEC Result Viewing (IReV) portal, which makes the result management procedure more transparent. With this device, polling unit results will be uploaded to the portal in real-time in the 2023 general election. Nigerians are relying heavily on this promise from INEC. The people are believing the commission and that is why their interest in the electoral system has picked up.
So, what will Yakubu do with these trump cards? Will the technologies work as he has presented them? Will the machines be discriminatory or selective? Will what worked in Zungeru fail to work in Opobo? Questions abound. But whatever the doubts or reservations may be, the commission has a responsibility to ensure that Nigerians as a whole or in part do not feel disappointed at the end of the day.
Beyond technology, the more important factor is the human element. Yakubu is human. So he can fail. But should we expect failure from him or should he aspire to fail? Neither is an option in this matter. As I earlier noted, Yakubu is at a historical juncture in his career. His performance on this job is not his alone. It is even more significant in the way it will affect the survival, peace and progress of the country or the absence of all of them.
In getting to where we are at the moment, Nigerians have had to cry their hearts out. The people feel let down by the leadership. Now, they are yearning for a new order. They want something different from what they are used to. But the ultimate choice is that of Nigerians. Yakubu acknowledged that much when he said that the sanctity of the choice made by Nigerians must be protected.
But what is difficult to come by here is sincerity of purpose. Is Yakubu just wearing an innocent mien or will he prove to be a true lover of his country? If he chooses the latter, then he will not cohabit with negative influencers. Rather, he will put Nigeria first and every other consideration last. What will Yakubu choose? History beckons.