Inconclusive Elections and Political Misconducts News

Inconclusive Elections and

Inconclusive Elections and Political
Misconducts

By Moshood Isah

Having endured avalanche of criticisms following the initial
postponement of the Presidential elections, the electoral
commission was also not spared after the conduct of the elections
came with logistics and security issues. The controversy that
followed the declaration of the Presidential elections result also
left the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) at the
mercy of criticisms from political parties who lost the elections
and reproaches from political analysts.

The latest from the barrage of criticisms INEC is currently
facing is as a result of the declaration of inconclusive elections
in six states and suspension of the process in Rivers State.
Understandably so because the commission is the only constitutional
body responsible for administering elections in Nigeria and thus
virtually every garbage regarding electoral issues lands on the
commission’s doorstep. Sadly, another round of taxpayers’ fund will
be used to conduct supplementary elections as a result of
misdemeanor of the same politicians who control the state
resources.

Taking a holistic look at the circumstances where elections can
be declared inconclusive, it seems obvious that INEC has been
applying the margin of lead principle in a bid to further its
credibility and transparency. INEC guidelines for the 2019
elections succinctly explained that supplementary elections may
hold in line with the ‘Margin of Lead Principle’ where the
Commission is unable to deploy to Polling Units due to logistical
challenges, willful obstruction or resistance to
deployment/distribution of election materials or where there is
voter resistance to the use of the Smart Card Reader. Similarly,
supplementary election will be announced where the commission
determines that violent disruptions occurred at a substantial
number of Polling Units before announcement of result.

Although, there were reports of delay in deployment of materials
in a handful of polling units, elections still held. The main
reason behind inconclusive elections is due to vote cancellation
caused by either ballot box snatching, destruction of electoral
materials, overvoting or violence at polling units or collation
centers. The commission itself obviously will not snatch its own
ballot box or destroy its own materials and as a matter of fact,
there cannot be overvoting in polling units without collusion of
political party agents and security present at the time. It’s no
more news that politicians through thugs, agents and loyalists are
usually the culprits and perpetrators of electoral violence in a
desperate move to swing voters’ decision in their favor.

Reports abound on how political thugs inspired by desperate
politicians disrupt the process or destroy election materials
especially when their personal interest is at stake. The sudden
inferno at a number of INEC offices close to the elections still
await investigation. More so, whether the security agencies
involved in the election claim that they are being impersonated by
political thugs in their uniforms or not, this security agencies
also have the large chunk of blame when it comes to disruption of
elections leading to cancellation and most times the infamous
inconclusive election declaration.

Election officials cannot be harassed, intimidated or assaulted
and then still take the blame for snatching of ballot box while
security agents who as a matter of fact are mandated to protect
everyone including the materials remain exonerated. The best INEC
can do in such scenario is to cancel elections in such polling unit
or collation center and if the total number of registered voters
surpass the margin of lead between the two major candidates, the
credible thing to do is conduct a supplementary election.

It is thus high time to call out politicians who are the major
actors in the electoral process to desist from disrupting the
process or face the wrath of the law. It will even be better if
these electoral offences that leads to cancellation of hard-earned
votes can be investigated and when linked to principal perpetrators
they should be punished accordingly. Come to think of it, has the
Inspector General of Police ever made effort to hold Commissioners
of Police responsible in states where electoral violence occurs?
Its high time Commissioners start holding Divisional Police
Officers responsible at the Locations where there are disruption of
election.

While this piece is not completely exonerating the electoral
commission from the ills bedeviling Nigeria’s elections, the
politicians and security agents should take large share of the
spoils. The electoral commission does not operate in a vacuum and
thus electoral actors must play their own role to ensure a credible
process.

Moshood Isah is the Media Officer of YIAGA AFRICA

Moshood Isah
Media Officer | YIAGA AFRICA
Tel – +234 703 666 9339 | Email: misah@yiaga.org | Twitter :
@moshoodpm | Skype : moshoodpm | Instagram : @moshoodpm1
No 3, Road 17, Frantz Fanon Crescent, 4th Avenue, Gwarinpa,
Abuja
www.yiaga.org |
www.watchingthevote.org^[1][2]