Since the triumph of Western liberal democracy as the most preferred model of government, which affords citizens greater opportunity to participate in the process of leadership emergence, continuous efforts have been on the wheel to ensure democracy is enthroned in its truest sense. However, democracy and by extension, democratisation, are not already made products in the market. Both variables are products of processes and procedures of empowering state electoral institutions to function optimally.
After a series of failed attempts at enthroning a virile democracy in the First, Second and Third Republics, the Fourth Republic, being Nigeria’s longest shot democracy (1999-2022), is finding sound footing.
None of the successive republics ever lasted beyond six years. Nevertheless, through painstaking processes, sacrifices and efforts, Nigeria is beginning to get it right by continuous improvement on laws governing electoral institutions.
The recent passage and signing into law of the Electoral Act 2022 climaxed the triumph of democracy in Nigeria. Nigerians from all walks of life, world leaders and multilateral institutions have continued to commend President Muhammadu Buhari for bracing the odds and despising enormous pressure to enact the bill into law.
What is more gratifying than the confirmation by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that the 2023 general elections will go on as scheduled? The implication is that our security intelligence team under the leadership of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Major Gen Babagana Mongonu (rtd), has been able to efficiently leverage on its intelligence gathering strategy. This is a welcome development, especially against the backdrop of the lies being peddled by mischief makers that the 2015 general election may not hold after all.
It beats one’s imagination how people like to see the only country they have ridiculed before the comity of nations. Elections in other climes are not as rancorous as we have in Nigeria.
Recently, Gambia, a West African country that is not more than Lagos, held both presidential and parliamentary elections. There was no noise. It will be shameful if Nigeria is continued to be painted in bad light because of politics. Why can’t we learn from countries like the United States where despite the rumpus that trailed the election that produced President Joe Biden the elite rallied round to ensure issues are resolved?
On the new Electoral Act, Nigeria is beginning to harvest from the new law almost instantaneously. Perhaps, for the first time in our Electoral history, appointed public officials are mandated to resign their office before seeking the nomination of their party, according the provision of Section 84 of the new law. This is an antidote to influence peddling and rigging of all sorts, using paraphernalia of office. Nigeria has never had it so good. As of today, we have lost count of government officials who have reluctantly resigned their offices to pursue their political aspirations. This is how great democracies were built.
Suffice it to highlight some ups in the Buhari inspired electoral law. Notably, the new law gives the INEC more decision-making powers and sets aside early funding for it to avoid embarrassing technical and logistic lags that saw the last elections in 2019 rescheduled and left some voters unable to exercise their rights in the end.
Most importantly, the law also gives legal backing to the use of electronic card readers for voting and electronic methods for transferring results for collation, a sticking point for some politicians who had argued that the state of the country’s telecommunications system could hinder voting in some areas.
On the flipside, civil society members see the card readers used for the first time in general elections in 2015 as aiding transparency and reducing incidences of rigging. But because the machines previously lacked legal backing, the admissibility of electronic data in courts generated hot debates. That is why President Buhari must be commended for his selfless leadership in the enactment of the electoral law.
With the new act going into effect immediately, INEC can test-run the rules as soon as July this year when neighbouring states, Osun and Ekiti, will hold elections to pick new governors.
Without a doubt, Buhari has gradually etched his name in gold as one of the global democracy champions. The new law is a lifeline, as it holds the ace in positively revolutionising elections in Nigeria. The technological innovations provision in the law would guarantee the constitutional rights of citizens to vote and to do so effectively.
President Buhari has done his part by partnering effectively with the National Assembly and giving the country good laws. Instead of casting aspersion on the system, what Civil Society Organisations and other relevant stakeholders should concern themselves is trying to ensure that executors of the laws are held to account because technology is a tool that is deployed by humans, and humans are imperfect. So there may be some issues but the goal is to keep them at the barest minimum.
In retrospect, electoral participation concerns remain high in Nigeria, with turnout regularly hovering around 30 to 35 percent, a low continental average, according to INEC. The new law would certainly boost the confidence of Nigerians in the electoral processes, hence, addressing the issue of voter apathy.
From the beginning, I have had firm believe in President Buhari because he himself came to power with a change agenda. What is clear by this is that he came to do things differently, run the country differently and impose a new culture of governance that will improve the living conditions of the people and make the country a better, safer and united country.
Historically, President Buhari fought for the presidential diadem with the tenacity of a warhorse. He went into the field three times, campaigning in various parts of the country to become the president of Nigeria. Three times he failed but didn’t stop there. He took his fate into the hands of the courts as a true warrior. On all three occasions he had his grouses against the electoral system. Then, in the fourth time he got lucky. The APC was sewn together from three or four disparate groups to form a formidable platform on which Buhari ran and won.
President Buhari would have found himself on the wrong side of history if he had failed to reform the electoral processes that robbed him of victory thrice. Thank God he did not disappoint Nigerians.
Every country has their peculiar challenges. For us, Nigeria is the only country we have. Let’s join hands with the Buhari government to make it better for us, our children and unborn generations.
Ibrahim is director, Communications and Strategic Planning, Presidential Support Committee (PSC).
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