Michael Owhoko: 4 greatest losers of the 2023 Nigerian common elections

The actual losers of the 2023 Nigerian common elections usually are not the voters who have been disadvantaged of their rights to freely select candidates of their alternative nor the first-timer youth who have been dissatisfied by the Nigerian state nor the candidates who misplaced or received as declared by the Unbiased Nationwide Electoral Fee (INEC).

The most important losers are President Muhammadu Buhari, INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu, President-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Nigeria as a political entity.  Aside from Bola Tinubu, who carries the burden of legitimacy arising from a flawed course of and complete miniature votes garnered, the others will reside with a scar and collective guilt slammed on the nation by the moral deficit within the supply strategy of the elections.

With common disenchantment over the conduct of the 2023 Nigerian common elections by over 145,000 nationwide and international observers deployed throughout the nation, INEC failed to go away a cut up opinion on its capability to conduct a free, truthful and credible election, a growth that may hunt Yakubu, Buhari and Nigeria for a very long time to come back.  The train was not solely a horrendous phenomenon on the psyche of Nigerians however a fleeting nightmare.  

A consensus damaging opinion on the flawed elections by the European Union, African Union, Financial Neighborhood of West African States (ECOWAS), Commonwealth, The Worldwide Republican Institute (IRI), Nationwide Democratic Institute (NDI), Joint Election Remark Mission (IEOM), 4 former African presidents, and Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), is an affirmation of worldwide scepticism about Nigeria’s fame.  All of them concluded that the electoral course of lacked transparency, which inspired manipulations and undermined voters’ confidence. 

This belief deficit was additionally highlighted by Chatham Home when it declared that INEC had learnt nothing from its previous failures.  Particularly, it mentioned, “The INEC’s efficiency and controversies over these outcomes imply that the electoral reforms and classes declared to have been realized weren’t totally utilized and, as an electoral physique, it was considerably much less ready than it claimed.”

As a consequence of those opinions, President Buhari might need missed the chance to etch his title in gold over his failure to supply a safe and enabling surroundings free of charge, truthful and credible elections.  As Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, he didn’t optimally use his workplaces, together with efficient deployment of the police, military, DSS, and different safety companies to guard voters through the elections. 

Nigerians have been mortified by horrendous photos of election violations, and no rationalisation may justify such prison acts.  An election the place about 27 individuals have been killed nationwide over violence, poll snatching, thuggery, voter suppression, ethnic bigotry, and use of tribal gods and deities, even within the presence of safety operatives in some cases, can solely be a nationwide disgrace.   

In addition to, no matter is left of Buhari’s legacy might need been additional weakened by the naira redesign and forex swap coverage which introduced untold hardship to residents through the interval of the elections.  Maybe, the intention of the coverage was to remove financial inducement and vote shopping for, sadly, Buhari and the Central Financial institution governor, Godwin Emefiele, have been outwitted by politicians via using extra-constitutional and procedural means to contrive and obtain sinister goals. 

For the INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, there is perhaps no second alternative to redeem his character.  With a price range of over N305 billion and different sundry assist, he had no cause to have failed.  Yakubu gave assurances in native and worldwide occasions, together with Chatham Home, of his Fee’s preparedness, pledging that with using know-how, together with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), outcomes can be transmitted in real-time to INEC Outcome Viewing Portal (IReV). 

These assertions receded into irrelevance when INEC didn’t adjust to the Electoral Act and its personal tips.  The Electoral Act 2022 requires INEC to add the elections of polling items in its portal as stipulated in Part 60 (5) and Clause 38 of the INEC Laws and Pointers.

Particularly, Clause 38 of the INEC Laws and Pointers for the Conduct of Elections, 2022 states: “Upon completion of all of the Polling Unit voting and outcomes, procedures, the Presiding Officer shall:-(i) Electronically transmit or switch the results of the Polling Unit direct to the collation system as prescribed by the fee. (ii) Use BVAS to add a scan of ES8A to INEC Outcome Viewing Portal (IReV), as prescribed by the fee. (iii) Take the BVAS and the unique copy of every of the kinds in a tamper-evident envelope to the registration space/ward collation officer, within the firm of safety brokers. The polling brokers might accompany the presiding officer to the RA/ward collation centre.”

With non-compliance and deviation from these regulatory provisions, INEC opened the electoral course of to manipulations, leading to a scarcity of justice and fulfilment for voters.  

These violations have uncovered existential gaps within the capability of Mahmood Yakubu to ship on a major nationwide task.  This would possibly forged aspersion on his fame and capabilities.  Certainly, this election is a minus for his profile, as no authorities or any severe organisation might wish to bequeath him with such obligations in future.  

Sadly, the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, is a product of INEC’s flawed course of, and this has triggered a legitimacy problem that’s additional fueled by a lean variety of votes secured on the election relative to the entire votes forged.  Tinubu polled 8.87 million (the least by any presidential candidate since 1999), representing 36.61 per cent of complete votes and 10.08 per cent of all eligible voters.  Out of roughly 93 million registered voters, solely about 25 million, representing 28.63 per cent, truly turned out to vote. 

Implicitly, Bola Tinubu was not solely elected by minority voters when seen towards 25 million individuals that voted, and in a rustic of over 200 million individuals, scepticism ensuing from INEC’s a number of irregularities is unhelpful to his presidency.  Maybe, this accounts for the absence of nationwide pomp and celebration that will have heralded his victory.   

With out prejudice to the present litigation’s consequence, Tinubu ought to activate his social capital to open channels throughout to influential teams and personalities within the nation, together with his political rivals, geared toward legitimising his presidency, and reaching unity via the formation of the all-inclusive authorities.

INEC’s efficiency has additionally rubbed off on Nigeria’s picture as a corrupt nation.  By way of the international observers, the notion of the worldwide neighborhood about Nigeria as a corrupt nation might need worsened on account of their opinions over the dearth of transparency and operational failures that characterised INEC’s efficiency.  

Within the 2022 Transparency Worldwide (TI) Corruption Notion Index (CPI), Nigeria was ranked 150 out of 180 international locations and likewise positioned because the second most corrupt nation in West Africa. INEC’s requirements and efficiency have unwittingly confirmed Nigeria as corrupt and deepened international damaging impressions.

Nigeria misplaced the chance to show earlier than the world its preparedness to be a number one mild in Africa and world affairs, utilizing the elections as a springboard to exhibit its management potential and capability.  Hopes for these attainments have, nonetheless, been pissed off and shattered by INEC.

In addition to, with the world’s consideration on Nigeria as connoted by the presence of international observers, Nigeria ought to have used the elections as public relations device to strengthen the nation’s picture via the conduct of a free, truthful and credible election underneath a clear ambiance. This might have left international observers rattled as to Nigeria’s new values and moral orientation. 

It was an occasion Nigeria ought to have used to shore up its dwindling fame.  It’s more practical than an image-laundering programme the place an enormous sum of money in foreign exchange is budgeted for public relations and fame administration.  With a great picture, Nigerians’ dignity and respect can be restored and largely put an finish to discrimination at border posts in international international locations.   

This expertise ought to function a lesson on the must be clear within the conduct of future elections.  Former American President Jimmy Carter, who was in Nigeria prior to now to watch elections, vowed by no means to watch elections in Nigeria once more after his ugly expertise of brazen violation of the electoral course of. He was upset with the impunity with which politicians used thuggery to deprive the voters of freely voting for candidates of their alternative.  

It’s hoped that Nigeria won’t enable a repeat of this ugly expertise.  It’s time to make political workplaces unattractive to discourage desperation which is the underpinning motive for all these electoral atrocities.    The electoral physique needs to be reformed and repositioned with individuals of integrity as drivers geared toward restoring electoral integrity.

Dr Mike Owhoko, a Lagos-based journalist and writer, could be reached at www.mikeowhoko.com.