SCORECARD OF THE 2023 ELECTIONS.

   

SCORECARD OF THE 2023 ELECTIONS

(Being a press release by Zarephath Aid)

 

1. On Saturday February 25^th 2023, the Presidential and National Assembly elections held all over the country. Reports from International and local observers attest that the general conduct of the exercise was below expectation given the unparalleled support which the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) received from both the Federal Government and Multilateral bodies.
2. Reports from many parts of the country showed a pattern of disenfranchisement of voters involving violent conduct of hired thugs, snatching of ballot boxes, threats and intimidation of voters, burning of voting materials, multiple thumb printing of snatched ballot papers, etc. All of these were in gross violation of the Electoral Act 2022.
3. More worrisome was the deliberate failure of the application of the Electoral guidelines by INEC polling unit and other officials in respect of the deployment of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV). By the deliberate refusal to deploy the BVAS in accreditation of voters thus making room for ghost voting, INEC became complicit in the ‘arrangement’ to undermine the freewill of voters which is a cardinal component of the democratic process. What more, in resorting to manual upload of results, effectively bypassing the IREV provision and guideline, INEC, through its presiding officers made a blatant mockery of its avowed independence thereby executing a criminal sabotage of the process and stalling Nigeria’s democratic progress.
4. The sights and sounds of other criminal infractions leading up to and beyond these elections are in the public domain and this calls for a critical review of what roles were played by different parties in the run up to the Presidential polls.
5. Expectedly, after INEC declared the winner, there have been booming calls for the cancellation of the entire election process amidst protests by many citizens and even calls for an interim National Government to be set up on May 29 the expected hand over date.
6. In the immediate aftermath of the Presidential and National Assembly elections, INEC and the law enforcement agencies were tasked with conducting a quick review of their performance and emplacing necessary checks before the Governorship and State Assembly elections of 18^th March 2023.
7. The conduct of the Governorship elections threw up so many absurdities and called into question the role of the law enforcement agencies in the process. Again INEC through its officers colluding with party agents derided our collective desire for nationhood built on justice and equality. In very troubling videos and reports, our fault lines were shamefully taken advantage of by politicians and ignorant people in raising biased and unfounded fears about others.
8. Of particular concern is Lagos state where there was deep and divisive rhetoric against the Igbo ethnic group (which meant all non-Yoruba ethnic people and even some Yoruba who had the physical features of the Igbo). They were warned by Yoruba ethnic irredentists to stay away from voting if they would not vote for their preferred candidate. Threats were openly issued and executed despite the presence of law enforcement agents. Sadly even after the elections, otherwise educated and well-travelled people sustained the ethnic-based rhetoric warning the Igbos not to ever interfere in the politics of Lagos State again with 2027 in mind.
9. The inescapable conclusion is that unless politicians and their minions are strongly kept in check, our democratic journey may again be interrupted as we saw in 1966 and 1983. It is an irony that in a bid to lead people, political players can go to any length to subvert the process and impose their will on others.
10. We therefore make the following demands;
    1. That INEC be bold enough to conduct a thorough review of its actions in these elections, identify who among their staff that aided the subversion of the process and present them for prosecution.
    2. That INEC make an audit of the monetary and other resources it was availed and present its account for all to view and critique.
    3. That the Economic and financial crimes commission (EFCC) follow through on identified cases of corruption involving INEC officers and other politicians and make them face the law.
    4. That the Nigerian Police also undertake a review of the dismal performance of its officers and men in the elections and apply sanctions where applicable. That they should provide the evidence for the over 750 arrested election offenders to be prosecuted in court by INEC.
    5. That the law enforcement agencies (Police and Department of State Security DSS) get to the root of cases involving ethnic-based incitement against others in the build up to the elections and afterwards. Living in denial will only postpone the doomsday.
    6. That parties who are aggrieved with the process should ventilate through exploring the legal process of adjudication at the Election Tribunals within the framework of the electoral Act.
    7. That Nigerians are enjoined to give the Judiciary a benefit of the doubt in the dispensation of justice regarding these electoral infractions.
    8. That the members of the Tribunals should live up to their oath of office in the discharge of their duties without fear or favor notwithstanding threats and pressure.
    9. That INEC should maintain the role of an umpire and should not pander to any of the parties in the activities leading up to filing and hearing of petitions at the tribunals; these include inspection of voting materials, voters registers and the technological component (BVAS and IREV).
    10. That political parties rein in their members and other hired thugs still on the rampage in many states trying to prevent the aggrieved persons from getting justice.
    11. That State Governors and other religious figures should put the process of healing and inclusiveness in place and avoid actions and words which rub the injustice in the face of the aggrieved like the popular cliché ‘go to court’, an otherwise harmless phrase but which has become a taunt in Nigeria’s present political lexicon.
    12. That calls for Interim National Government are unnecessary, diversionary and treasonable. Nigeria operates a constitutional democracy with a Constitution and there is no provision for such an arrangement.
    13. That all arms of Government especially the law enforcement agencies should acknowledge the waning confidence of the people and work to restore their faith in the Nigerian project by ensuring justice, fair play and equity.

 

E-Signed:

 

Ben Abraham, Esq

Founder, ZAREPHATH AID

www.zarephathaid.org

 

ZAREPHATH AID (ZA) is a dynamic Non-Government, Nonpolitical and Nonprofit Organization with a vision for Criminal Justice reforms via Legal aid, prisoners’ welfare and rehabilitation.