Towards Successful
2007 Election
- A 21-Point Agenda -
by
March 28, 2005
INTRODUCTION
Having studied VERY
CLOSELY what went seriously wrong in the last three elections in Nigeria, I
believe that a close application of the following 21-point agenda will
minimize electoral fraud and achieve greater confidence in our electoral
process.
THE MECHANICS OF
ADMINISTRATION
1. To achieve
impartiality, the chairman of the National Electoral Commission (NEC) should
be a sitting judge chosen by the Chief Justice of the Federation. The
administration and composition of the State Independent Electoral
Commissions (SIECs) should closely that of the National Electoral
Commission.
2. The NEC should be
placed under the Judiciary branch of government (and not under the Executive
branch.)
3. The NEC should be
funded as a First Charge from the Consolidate Revenue Fund of the Federal
Republic.
4. The regular membership
of the NEC should be composed of:
(i) four members ( by
Nigerian Bar Association, the leading national Electoral Reform/Civil
Society organization, the Women Association and the Youth Association.)
(ii) one member from each
political party that scored more than or equal to five percent of total
votes in the last national election. In the very first Electoral Commission
after adopting this agenda, ALL parties should be represented.
5. The NEC shall
supervise:
- The
Presidential Elections
- The National Assembly (Senate and House) Elections
6. The SIECs should
supervise:
- the State
Gubernatorial Elections
- The State Assembly Elections
- The Local Government Elections
7. The Nigerian Police
Service – and never the Army – should be involved only in ensuring security
of polling materials and preventing thuggery by rival parties' operatives.
8. There should be no
curfew on election day, which excuse was used by the Police and Army in 2003
to brazenly pervert the process. Consequently, multiple voting (which
curfews were to supposed to prevent), if found, should be severely punished.
9. Independent (local,
national and international) monitors must be an INTEGRAL part of election
administration, and not considered a necessary nuisance.
THE MECHANICS OF
CANDIDACY
10. All party candidates
for a particular seat or election must have been determined at least two
months before given election and advertised as such. No substitutions of
candidacy (unless for death within one month of the elections) should be
allowed.
11. The names of ALL
candidates must appear on ALL ballot materials.
THE MECHANICS OF
VOTING
12. All qualified voters
must be allowed to register as they turn 18 at all times and throughout the
country, giving each a multi-piece Voter Registration card, which number
depends on the number of elections in the given year.
13. Voter rolls must be
published at least a month before the elections themselves, so that
registrants can check their names, and parties can be satisfied that there
is no hanky-panky. The maximum number of voters too is thereby ascertained.
14. On Election Day,
independent monitors must independently record the total numbers of voters
in any polling booth.
15. Voting must be by
secret ballot, after the voter has surrendered one of the pieces of
registration paper. Where there is doubt, a photo-id may be requested.
THE MECHANICS OF
VOTE COUNTING AND ANNOUNCEMENT
16. At the very minimum,
the number of total votes for all candidates must equal the number of voters
independently adjudged by monitors, within the limits of spoilt ballots.
17. Any precinct with
unequal ballot numbers above a 20% limit should be declared void and
re-voting required at a future date - or cancelled altogether.
18. Any precinct below a
20% limit should be inspected to ascertain reasons, and whether a difference
in election results would ensue one way or the other.
19. Party operatives and
independent monitors must certify results, which must be relayed by secure
telecommunications transaction, to some central pool (whether local, state
or national).
20. A preliminary set of
results must be announced within one week of election date, and a final set
within three weeks of election date. Under no circumstances must three
weeks be exceeded.
THE MECHANICS OF
ELECTORAL ADJUDICATION
21. All judicial
determinations of election results contestation - from the primary tribunal
process to the relevant topmost appeal process - must be completed within
three months of election date, and almost certainly before installment of
any purported winners.
EPILOGUE
In closing, elections are
the bottom floor of any electoral democracy, and every effort must be made
to confer confidence in them.
Best wishes all.
Comments are welcome.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY