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From Idu Jude Abuja
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, has said that for Nigeria to have proper elections subsequently for inclusive governance it needs reminiscent of its Electoral histories to serve as a Pathfinder for future processes.
Mahmood Yakubu remarked Friday during a public presentation of EMBs book put together by a Civil Society organization CSO, under the aegis of IRIAD/The Electoral Hub, that Nigeria is on the way to trouble-free elections with the unavailing of the book with the records challenges of previous elections.
He said that the presentation targets three interrelated objectives, to share insights from the research with a broader audience, garner perspectives of experts and stakeholders on the experiences within EMBs in Nigeria, and stimulate interest and collective action towards improved electoral governance for credible elections in Nigeria.
Mahmood, who was represented during the occasion by the INEC National Commissioner, Abdullahi Abdul Azuru stressed that the research is not merely a historical recount but a comprehensive analysis which provides actionable insights into the Nation’s electoral processes.
The INEC Chairman indicated that the Election Management Bodies (EMBs) have examined the actions of successive election management bodies and their contributions to the evolution of the electoral process, including aspects such as gender, age, and regional inclusiveness within EMBs.
“Over the years, from the pioneering efforts of the Electoral Commission in 1958 to the current operations of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), EMBs have consistently played a pivotal role in enhancing the quality of our elections.
Our research explores the legal frameworks, landmark judicial decisions, and other influences that have shaped the functionality of EMBs”.
He, however, revealed that the book documents how these bodies have adapted to socio-political and logistical challenges, striving to improve electoral practices despite obstacles. “Importantly, we identify the reforms and innovations introduced by various Election Management Bodies (EMBs), underscoring their pivotal role in the incremental improvement of Nigeria’s electoral system,” he said.
The book reviewer Professor Jinadu L. Adele pointedly describes the monograph presented by Princess Hamman-Obels the Director of The Electoral Hub as fascinating because it admirably provides, through diachronic analysis, a bird’s eye overview of the evolution of electoral commissions in Nigeria since 1958, divided into the following historical sequences from 1958-1960; 1960-1963; 1961-1966; 1976-1983; 1987-1983; 1995-1988; and 1998 to date.
He said that the analysis is, however, set against the constitutional and wider political history of Nigeria, in relating the origins of elections in Nigeria to the introduction of a rudimentary albeit miniscule and flawed system of elective principle in the country in 1923.
“The system was minuscule and flawed primarily because it was, to use an oxymoron, hugely unrepresentative, in its providing for only three unofficial members from Lagos and one from Calabar, to the country’s Legislative Council, elected by residents of both towns who had a minimum annual income of one hundred pounds sterling. It was not until the 1959 federal elections that universal adult suffrage was adopted for the elections in the Eastern Region, Western Region, and Lagos while adult male suffrage was adopted in the Northern Region.
“Since the publication of Professor Tekena Tamuno no other publication, as far as my research has revealed, has attempted to cover with such historical sweep, the type of detailed, informed bird’s eye view, even if fleeting and tantalizingly annoying, using diachronic analysis, to range over the history of electoral commissions in Nigeria from 1923 to the present time.
“The monograph is, therefore, significant for (a) the rich vein of information which the avid researcher can mine profitably; and (b) the intellectual curiosity and the provocation it triggers in readers’ minds about questions not posed or the leads for further research explorations that it suggests.
“This is the broad line of inquiry I want to pursue in this review. I find it preferable to do so than to provide a boring regurgitation of the chapters in the monograph.
Speaking during the presentation ceremony, spokesperson to INEC, Barrister Festus Okoye, bared his mind on some of the challenges being encountered during election periods, noting that the book may serve as a guide to mitigate numerous challenges.
Numerous other participants including Professor Sulaiman, DG, National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, Alhaji Yusuf Dantalle, National Chairman IPAC, corroborated and thumbs up the EMBs books as a road map for future elections.
