The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu was part of the just concluded election observers who closely monitored the recent general election in Ghana which was widely celebrated for its transparency, fairness and credibility.
There were no reports of Ghana’s electoral commission staff manipulating the results of the election. The security personnel were not seen snatching ballot boxes. And there was no glitch whatsoever in the electoral transmission of election results.
The experience in Ghana was a far cry from what happened in Nigeria during the previous elections. Nigerians were therefore scandalised and expressed shock when INEC Chairman, Professor Yakubu came back home and attributed Ghana’s success at the poll to what they learnt from Nigeria.
Nigerians have passed a vote of no confidence on INEC to emulate Ghana’s transparency. They believed that INEC as it is today is incapable of conducting a seamless and credible election in Nigeria in 2027. To Nigerians, the electoral umpire has failed to improve on its performance in off-cycle elections that took place in Edo and Ondo and can therefore not be trusted to conduct a free and fair poll. They called for urgent critical reforms that must be put in place before 2027 and suggested how to make INEC free from the control and influence of politicians.
Prof Okaba, President of Ijaw National Congress, INC, said: “Judging by their recent performance, the Ghanaian Electoral Commission offers a near perfect example and model of a truly dependable, independent and efficient electoral body that Nigeria must emulate, if this nation sincerely desires to take the issues of good governance and development seriously".
For the INEC to conduct a credible and seamless election in 2027, Nigeria must undertake some urgent and critical reforms that would significantly enhance the credibility, fairness, integrity and general acceptability of its electoral system.
These include: Securing INEC’s true independence to shield it from undue political manipulation; Overhauling electoral laws to plug loopholes and ensure transparency; Ensure enforceability of these laws especially as they relate to the mandatory use of BVAS; Immediate transmission of results to the INEC portal after any vote is cast; Fostering internal democracy within political parties to prevent the imposition of candidates; Intensifying voter education and awareness initiatives and Harnessing technology to modernize voter registration, accreditation, and result transmission. We should be working towards total electronic voting and drastic reduction of the number of political parties to a manageable size to reduce operational cost and ensure greater effectiveness.