The 2007 “selection” have come and gone. There is no doubt in the mind of any sane observer that using the minimum standards of electoral democracy, this “election” has been nothing short of a sham. Replete with all possible errors including a compromised electoral commission, a menacingly vengeful incumbent bent on perpetuating its minions, violence on the part of political actors, large scale political corruption and above all a subversion of the will of the people- the 2007 elections will go down as the most corrupt in the modern political history of Nigeria. But as sane people it will be ineffectual to stop at bemoaning or denouncing a flawed process. The difference between higher mammals with higher level of cognitive reasoning is an ability to learn from experience. The first step towards learning the right lessons from this election is by performing a post-mortem analysis. Of course your guess is as good as mine as to what died- that is for another day.

It is my intention to begin the process of examination with an acknowledgement of the positives (ironically so) of the 2007electoral process. The election of 2007 and the chaos emanating by a cabal bent on imposing its candidate on the people of Nigeria brought with it an unprecedented strengthening of electoral jurisprudence in Nigeria. The court struggles of some candidates, most especially Vice President Atiku, has helped clarified the electoral laws of the country and contributed in no small measure in strengthening the position of the judiciary as the last hope of the common man. Indeed, the impact of this on security cannot be under-estimated. Simply put, if people have faith in the courts, then violence abates. The court cases also enriched the knowledge of the public on their rights, the political process, as well as the inner workings of democracy. Whether this translates to a better country is what we are yet to see.

Furthermore, the “selection” represented a milestone in the history of our nation. Even though no election took place, at least we had some semblance of voting to usher the first “civilian” to civilian transfer of power. More importantly, a younger generation of  political class appears to be taking their sit in the position of their thieving fathers whom hopefully will be a first step towards ridding our country of the wasted generation (of Obasanjo and Anenih). Good riddance to bad rubbish! Some other positives were the peace that abounded in Lagos; a potentially explosive situation was averted when INEC allowed better judgment to prevail in contrast to the position taken in other states. The emergence of quality candidates like Pat Utomi and Oshiomole was also commendable. Indeed, while one can fault Utomi on strategy his courage in the face of tremendous challenges is commendable. Only cowards and do-nothings will excoriate the amiable professor when he sought to exercise his right as a lawful citizen to stand for public office. Oshiomole has also put a lie in the activist can’t win myth. He won in Edo state and I am confident the courts will award him back his stolen mandate if he so wishes.

However, beyond the positives what the 2007 “selection” have revealed are twin. First, it reveals the supreme dishonesty of followers and leadership alike in Nigeria. Secondly, it reveals the organizational ineptitude that pervades our country. From bad roads, to unreliable census figures and even corrupt matriculation examinations- inefficiency and ineptitude is indeed a citizen of Nigeria. More so, evidence abounds that these ineptitude springs not from dumb or stupid people, (for indeed Nigerians have their own fair share of geniuses) but from a clairvoyant one with no sense of selflessness, altruism and above all – patriotism. It points to a culture of anything goes that pervades our public sphere as well as a culture of money and violence trumps all that is destroying our inner cities and villages. Ours is a societal defect, and systemic problem that will require a wholesale fix. It will not just require a fix of our government or politics. Hence, the system and/or the people will need to change.

The safest way to correct a systemic defect is to device a corrective system; a system designed to correct the destructive target behavior. In democracies, this can usually be achieved by use of legislative instruments. The body of law, structure of government, constitution etc. need be tweaked to correct the current defect in our democracy. Chief of these defects is pervasive corruption of office holders and the means by which they achieve office. The first can be corrected if the immunity for executive officeholders currently written into the constitution is removed in the inevitable amendment oncoming. Ensuring that government becomes more open by expediting the Freedom of Information bill that have been lingering in the legislature should also be a priority- with the process driven by the media, civil society and Nigerians at large. We cannot become lethargic in the face of assault on our collective sensibilities- the time for change is now.

The seeming corruption of the electoral process can be corrected also by a number of steps. Saints will not come down to be Nigerian politicians. Nigerian politicians are products of our sick society that have produced Nobel laureates as well as world renowned scammers. Hence, the electoral system has to be designed with the good, bad and ugly in mind. First, the influence of the incumbent on the electoral commission has to be significantly diminished. This can be achieved by mandating that all political parties appoint a member each to a governing board charged with overseeing the commission. This should be done hand in hand with rules regulating and tightening the requirement for being a recognized national political party. These rules should give room for small parties to germinate while preventing the mushrooming effect currently undermining the political character of the nation. In addition to these, sections of the constitution dealing with independent candidacy and stricter guidelines discouraging cross carpeting should be looked into. These measures will go a long way in cementing ideological politics and encouraging a cleaner political space in the future.

In the mean time, the opposition must not go into hiding; they must oppose and set up a parallel machinery of check and balance. More so, every atom of results coming from the discredited INEC HQ must be subjected to judicial review. They must head to the courts to seal the ballot papers, while preparing for a recount using finger print scanners. OBJ can run and cheat but he can’t run away from the shiny light of modern day technology. I am confident, the judiciary in all fairness will order a recount if asked to. If the current Senate President is interested in institutional change he should cause a bill to be introduced at the twilight of his political career to guarantee an automatic, technology backed recount of ballot papers in the future. This will put a permanent shrink in the amour of riggers yet unborn from the hills of Molete. I am still baffled why learned opposition leaders are calling only for a re-run. Recount is also an option.

Indeed, the practice of four yearly electoral rituals need be revised. The electoral commission must start preparing for the next election from now. Amendments to allow overlapping terms to allow for mid-term elections for half of the gubernatorial, national, and state legislative sits can also be considered. This will allow the Electoral commission more practice in real election instead of Aso Rock mandated selection, put a check on the incumbent ruling party while preventing the unnecessary overheating of the polity that comes with these quadrennial rituals. Surely, the perpetual employment of political thugs will go a long way in reducing crime while the inflation by way of political spending experienced during election years will also gladden the heart of Soludo’s Central Bankers. Talk about killing three birds with one stone. If only wishes were horses!

Robot  Villager

# 1 However, beyond the positives what the 2007 “selection” have revealed are twin. First, ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 25.04.2007 15:30