Barrister Fabian Awhen
Before the present dispensation that is before nineteen ninety-nine, efforts at instituting stable democratic governance in the country had failed in all successive attempts.
This is because the system was either not allowed to last or politicians ceased to be leaders offering service but became overbearing on society and attempted to elongate their tenure in office through unconstitutional means.
Admittedly, the fallout of this development is that the nation failed to institute an electoral process that was satisfactory, free, fair, and transparent.
In other words, the failures were symptoms of the malady, manifesting in the
form of ballot box stuffing, posting of fake results, and declarations of wrong candidates in elections while the disease itself is frustrated evident in our failure to institute an enduring democracy.
However, since the advent of the present democratic dispensations, attempts have been made to restore the confidence of the electorate in the system.
Thus, several legislations, and policy pronouncements by the government and INEC, have been geared towards strengthening and restoring confidence in the country’s electoral process and democratic institutions.
Interestingly, these policy pronouncements have attracted criticisms and times litigations as operators and stakeholders sought clarification on salient of the in the constitution bordering on the rights of political office holders.
Also, some legal constructions in the electoral laws, the role of EFCC and related bodies as well as security agencies among others have come under the spotlight, all to build a credible electoral process for the country.
Indeed, the challenge of convincing the various political contenders on the one hand and the electorate on the other hand as to its ability to conduct a free and fair.
For these people, certain politicians have perfected the art of election rigging and so no matter the measures adopted by INEC, elections would still be rigged.
There is no gainsaying the fact that this mindset is inimical to the outcome of the general elections as whatever results come out of the elections would be greeted with criticism.
It is for this reason that we enjoin the Independent National Electoral Commission to ensure that it conducts the April polls with transparency.
This in part entails massive voter education in the manner and form the election will take indeed, just in the same manner as the present public enlightenment on the nation’s currency.
Voters should be made to know beforehand the make of the voters’ cards, the different result sheets, that is, their colours, and their various security marks.
This is to forestall the possibility of politicians faking result sheets or voter cards.
Security marks in this sense will make forgery difficult while such materials are easily identifiable by the electorate.
Lastly, there should be provision for the display of the materials by presiding officers in all electoral booths before elections to indicate transparency of the system.
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