By Dafe Ivwurie
Donald Duke does not cut the look of a typical Nigerian politician and certainly does not speak like one.
We may not go into his mien, panache and graciousness, which in truth, make you look upon him with a sense of admiration and trust. However, it is his recent moves and utterances that should come under sharp focus.
Well, it is no news to those who follow Nigerian politics that elections are rigged in this country and I guess we can fathom in our minds the extent to which politicians go to win elections. Fathom no more, because Mr. Duke has just put flesh on all the figments of your imaginations of how elections are rigged in Nigeria.
Donald Duke is someone who should know, having been governor of Cross River State for two terms from 1999 to 2007. In a recent extempore speech to pro democracy Save Nigeria Group, in Abuja, the former governor delivered a candour’s niche remark of how governors rig elections in Nigeria.
It is important for you, like they say, to hear it from the horses mouth: “This is what happens; the resident electoral commissioner (REC) is usually from another state. The electoral officers, they move around. They are usually from that state, but for the conduct of elections itself, you would probably move from Cross River to Akwa Ibom or to Abia, but these musical chairs don’t mean anything.
“When the resident electoral commissioner comes before the elections are conducted, of course, when he comes to the state, usually, he has no accommodation; monies have not been released for the running or conduct of the elections and all that because we always start late. He pays a courtesy call on the governor. It’s usually a televised event you know, and of course he says all the right things.
“Your Excellency, I am here to ensure that we have free and fair elections and I will require your support.”
Mr. Duke went into some details of how a governor can ‘support’ a REC, including providing comfortable accommodation, cars, funds and even personnel as a run up to ensuring that he discharges his duty of delivering free and fair elections in the state.
I personally do not think that this is an indictment on any governor or any political party. Politicians are by nature meant to take advantage of any situation that would favour them. It is, instead, an indictment on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the whole electoral system of Nigeria.
I think Donald Duke’s revelation buttresses the argument for a truly autonomous electoral body in terms of funding and modus operandi. Why should the INEC wait for the National Assembly before it can get funding? Why should REC go to a state without being adequately officially catered for? Why should a REC ask for personnel from a state governor and also the resources to train them?
In a not so surprising response to Duke’s remarks, Prof. Attahiru Jega, the chairman of INEC has read the ‘riot act’ to RECs, who would be working with him not to ask for or receive any assistance or support from state governors. That, in fact, they should get clearance from the headquarters before receiving any support. According to Jega, his directive to the RECs is necessary in order to maintain the independence of INEC, saying, “you will agree with me that such measures are essential in ensuring public confidence in your work.”
Granted that this is a good sound bite coming from Jega, his directive to his men may well be just about a quarter of the solution needed to make INEC truly independent.
What about this other issue raised by Mr. Duke: “On the day of elections, each polling booth has no more than 500 ballot papers; that is the standard. There is not a polling booth that is more than 500. So only 200 people appear here, 300, 100 there, 50 there, 400 there, at the end of election what happens? The presiding officer sits down and calls a few guys and says, “hey, there are a few hundred papers here, let’s thumbprint. This is the real election. Well, this is not a PDP thing. I am not here to castigate the PDP; it’s a Nigerian thing. This process may sound comical and jovial; it happens throughout the country, whether it is Action Congress (AC) or APGA (All Progressives Grand Alliance), it’s the same thing. We are all the same. They start thumb-printing, some are overzealous. So at the end of the day you find some voting more than the number of people that were registered to vote.”
You see, all that talk about RECs getting support from the state governors is just a prelude to the above quoted remark by Mr. Duke and that is where the activist umpire, Prof. Jega, has his work cut out for him. This is what will make or mar his tenure as INEC chairman and his reputation as an activist and thoroughbred intellectual. It will be interesting if he will be looking in the way of Option A4, which was highly successful under Humphrey Nwosu or will he be relying on technology knowing the illiteracy level of those in the rural areas or a hybrid of both.
I once had an interview with Justice Victor Ovie-Whiskey, former FEDECO boss and the old man told me that “Nigerians are master riggers”. I think Mr. Duke has just given Prof. Jega a blueprint on rigging in Nigeria, the ball is now in the INEC chairman’s court to provide Nigerians with a blueprint on delivering credible elections not only in 2011 but beyond.
