29th March, 2011
Four days to the commencement of the much expected 2011 general elections, there is apprehension in the polity over the decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to allow voters wait at the polling booths until the votes are counted and the results announced to the hearing of everyone present.
The Chairman of INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, who announced this a week ago during a meeting with civil society groups, explained that voters would be allowed to stay till the end of voting to witness the counting of votes.
According to him, accreditation of voters would start at 8 a.m. and end at 12 noon. He disclosed that before voting, the actual number of accredited voters would be determined, adding that the result of a polling unit would be annulled if the number of votes exceeded those accredited.
But commenting on the INEC guidelines, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Hafiz Ringim, said voters would only be allowed to stay at a reasonable distance from the polling booths for security reasons. He, however, assured all Nigerians that every vote will count but the police will not allow a situation where people will vote, stay around and cause problem.
Since the announcement of the new system which is different from what happened in the past elections where voters were disallowed from staying around polling centres after voting, some political parties have expressed reservations about the new system while others supported it.
The People’s Democratic Party, PDP, expressed its apprehension over the new voting procedure, saying it was not only dangerous but also contradicted Section 62 (2) of the amended Electoral Act, 2011.
The Director of Media and Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Mallam Abba Dabo, accused the INEC boss of pandering to the slogan of the Muhammadu Buhari-led Congress for Progressive Change, CPC, which is telling its members to stay behind after voting and lynch anybody that tries to steal their votes.
Quoting Section 62 (2) of the amended Electoral Act, Dabo stated: “After the declaration of the close of polls, no voter shall be permitted to remain in the polling unit, unless otherwise authorised under this Act.†He described Jega’s position as a recipe for chaos at the elections.
However, the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, supported the position of INEC, describing it as the best under the present circumstance. ACN National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, argued that with the decision, the electorate would be able to police votes and reduce electoral fraud.
We are also aware of the setting up of voter vigilance groups by the CPC to monitor votes from the polling units to the collation centres.
Our advice is that politicians and voters should tread with caution. The level of violence currently being witnessed before the election is worrisome. There is the need for politicians to enlighten their members to maintain peace during the elections. Voters should be told that the decision to make them stay around the polling centres after casting their ballots is to prevent rigging and not to instigate violence.
Voters should not take the law into their own hands by attacking fellow voters at the voting centres. Electoral malpractices at the polling centres should be reported to the relevant authorities for prompt action. The law is clear concerning any malpractice at the polling centres. Results from tainted centres will be invalidated.
There is also the need to protect electoral officers on election days from aggrieved voters and agents of political parties. Electoral officers should be told where to go or what to do should violence erupt in their polling centres.