(TuesdayRapAround) 2019 Elections: Institutionalised Rigging To The Rescue?

It remains to be seen how prepared is the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the conduct of a truly free, fair, and credible elections come 2019.

Elections conducted in recent times, have no doubt, fell below expectations. Reports of ballot box snatches are rampant; with the latest trend, though not entirely strange or new – being vote buying by unscrupulous party representatives, and leaders alike.

This writer witnessed the experience of 1993 presidential election. The election money sharing (the monetisation of election as was performed by the late business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola) then was done long before the election day. It was not on the day of election. The latest development is however a complete departure form that old order.

Electorate casting vote

It’s been reported that these agents, sometimes under the cover of security officials try hard to induce voters to get monetary gain to vote for their preferred candidate(s). They even go as far as carry out what is now generally termed – ‘See and vote’ in these their strangely unpopular strategy to win elections at all cost.

This, no doubt, has lend credence to the saying that the 90% of the accidental leaders we have today are well aware of the endemic poverty in the land and are doing everything humanly, devilishly possible to compound the situation; this they do by way of impoverishing the people deliberately so that they can easily use them for pecuniary motives.

Economic subjugation is our greatest undoing in this part of the world.

Someone wrote in a WhatsApp group few days ago: “Hmmmmn! Another monster is let loose in the politics of southwest of Nigeria, they call it ‘Dibo kose obe’ (vote & cook soup) that is to say, u collect enough money to put soup on your table but u must vote for the candidate that gave u such money. At most one week soup but four years slavery. Yoruba Ronu…”

Perpetrators of this act now go to entice voters with cash while on queue to cast their votes. After it was reported during the conduct of Ondo State gubernatorial elections, one would have thought INEC would wake up to prevent further occurrence. As usual, it was reported again during the Ekiti governorship election, yet with INEC still crying wolf to deal with perpetrators. Lo and behold, nothing happened afterwards.

After Ekiti election, the monster still rear its ugly heads at the just concluded bye-elections in Kogi State.

Without much hesitation, the repeated occurrence has portrayed INEC as a mere toothless bulldog that is incapable of delivering on its statutory responsibilities to Nigeria, albeit Nigerians.

In the same vein, people who are feeding fat on the faulty system obviously would not want the system to work. Elsewhere across the globe, nations are embracing effective and efficient technology – all to reduce human errors that are associated with old, crude methods of conducting elections. But in Nigeria, powers that be will not allow anything of such to work.

For instance, the nation’s identity management scheme, that is, National Identity Number (NIN) since it comes with advanced technology and is unique (no two people can have same NIN), why can’t it be deployed alongside relevant applications that would guarantee free, fair elections – the type that will truly reflect the dictates of the electorates. What stops INEC from embracing electronic voting – all with the aim to guide against sharp practices?

Without mincing words, the country had been a victim of series of anti-democratic activities and power hungry politicians. There had never been a greater threat to the country’s nascent democracy than the dangerous trend of vote buying, and falsification of results while in transit – clearly under the cover and protection of usually overzealous and compromised security.

This unfortunate development is gradually eating deep into our psyche and society fabric, and in no time will hold our democratic process hostage. There should be no further delay to get rid of this monster (another form of corruption in case the perpetrators don’t know), where billions and trillions of naira are spent to induce voters in states and federal elections.

INEC and the law enforcement agencies have shown that there is nothing that they can do to root out this menace, as evident in recent elections in the country. This is why it will amount to a self-imposed suicide to rely on an already compromised security architecture to conduct the 2019 elections.

The security that we have today are more of collaborators in deadly politicking than the politicians themselves. That is more than enough reason why a serious government and or institution like INEC needs to be on top of its game; except it has resigned to faith that it is no longer on the part of Nigeria; and that it is ever ready to be part of history-makers – those who are hell bent to bring the nation down to its knee.

As for the people, it beats one’s imagination that our people will collect money then vote for the candidate being promoted by the party representatives.

Where lies our conscience? Who hath bewitched our decency, sense of responsibility and national consciousness? Why is our society working against widely acceptable norms and conducts?

Ever since the issue has been reported, how many electoral offenders, and or defaulters INEC have been able to prosecute or brought to justice?

Or is it good to say INEC officials are partners in this devilish act? It goes beyond INEC making noise about dealing with defaulters. After such elections might have successfully be compromised, INEC will still go ahead to announce result. With this, Nigeria will continue to be a laughing stock among committee of nations.

The earlier INEC gets its heart and head together, the better. Enough of lamentations. There should be laws to prosecute offenders/perpetrators. Tax payers’ money cannot continue to be used to organise frivolous, sham elections – mostly a pre-recorded exercise; mere formality.