INEC over-promised and under-delivered, By Ehi Braimah

As some commentators have pointed out, Professor Yakubu is “promising and not delivering,” but the opposite is true. Understandably, some hope is lost due to the results of the presidential election. As far as the role of INEC can be portrayed, we should not crucify the electoral body.

After Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was declared the winner of the presidential election held on February 25, opposition parties and their supporters accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of “lack of transparency” in the election process.

This is actually an old story because there is no election in Nigeria that has not been rocked by controversy. Even in 2027, allegations of rigging will not go away. The important thing is that we improve the process every election cycle.

We have had 24 years of democratic government since 1999, which is a major achievement – albeit an imperfect one. I do not expect INEC to tick all the boxes despite the Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, assuring all Nigerians that they are ready.

As some commentators have pointed out, Professor Yakubu is “promising and not delivering,” but the opposite is true. Understandably, some hope is lost due to the results of the presidential election. As far as the role of INEC can be portrayed, we should not crucify the electoral body.

But what do the splintered opposition parties want? In a sense, when compared to the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is no longer the “dominant” party in the background of the following breakaway groups: Peter Obi of the Labor Party; Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples party; and G5 governors led by Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State.

PDP scored its own goal when it gave Atiku Abubakar the presidential ticket against the party’s zoning principles. The expectation is that power should shift to the South after the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Secondly, it would be foolish to believe that the political capital that the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, accumulated over the past 30 years – including risking his life while joining other democratic forces to fight the late General Sani Abacha, a tormentor and dictator, for a standstill – will not Count for something.

The APC presidential candidate is sure to be a formidable force despite the many and stinging efforts by traducers to undermine his chances.

Third, Asiwaju Tinubu, in my view, has the best resourced campaign in terms of stakeholder management, messaging, media outreach, mobilization and broad appeal. He also achieved higher awareness than other candidates.

Peter Obi benefited a lot from the protest vote – mostly from young Nigerians – against the APC and politicians who have largely failed to deliver on their promises. He represents an organic and vibrant third force that is not his creation. The Obidients strongly believed in him as the “messiah” they had been waiting for.

After 16 years of PDP and eight years of APC, the general feeling is that life has not improved, but there are doubts that Obi will gain the critical mass needed for a pan-Nigerian mandate in his first attempt at a new party. .

He should stay back in PDP and work with others (North and South, Christians and Muslims) for the presidential ticket zoned to the South-East region.

Maybe, the story could be different.

But Obi should note that other parties also have supporters and followers in a country where identity politics is the main dish on the menu. There are many Obidients who are disappointed that Obi did not win after investing raw emotion into his campaign.

Chimamanda Adichie, a prolific author and respected “global brand ambassador”, whom I admire as a public intellectual, is one of them. I want to assure you that Nigeria will not remain in a “tough place” forever.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo (Baba Iyabo) and Pa Ayo Adebanjo, chieftain of the Afenifere tribe, were also disappointed. Overall, the Labor Party recorded an impressive and significant victory that the party and Obidients can achieve in the future.

In an environment where it usually does not work, how can INEC score 100% with the accreditation process and the collection of results? I admit that INEC’s overall score of the whole process could have been better, especially in terms of logistics management.

But have you tried transferring funds lately to see the gravity of the failure of the banking technology platform? What calls are usually frustrated by “poor network”?

However, these deficiencies cannot be an excuse for the delay in sending election materials to parts of Nigeria for exercise because accomplishing the task does not require rocket science. If the voting starts at the same time nationwide, maybe, it will get a big INEC approval rating.

Even under unforeseen circumstances, late voting can still be done to a minimum. Report after report condemned the late distribution of election materials and the incompetence of some INEC officials and those who allegedly compromised the voting process.

There are event management and professional activation agencies that INEC can work with under the aegis of Experiential Marketing Agencies of Nigeria (EXMAN) to achieve a smooth experience with timely voting materials for the 93 million voters in all 176,606 polling units nationwide.

Using the mapping model and optimization theory, 45 EXMAN agencies with a good performance record – working with INEC as consultants – can manage the entire voting process, where all polling units will be “touch points of experience” in 774 local government areas. .

Each agency can be assigned a group of 18 local government areas and 4,000 polling units. If you break down these figures, you will have an average of 223 polling units for each local council and 550 voters for each unit.

INEC should rectify the anomaly where some polling units have less than 300 voters and when you walk a few meters, the next polling unit will have more than 1,000 voters. It is a poor distribution that ignores the law of averages and cluster mapping.

No polling unit should have more than 550 voters each – based on the 93 million registered voters in 176,606 polling units – so that voting can start and end according to schedule. That means there will be no nighttime voting with torch lights or vehicle headlights or additional training until the next day.

The main objective is to ensure that no voter is disenfranchised in the absence of violence. By the way, who is recruiting thugs? What is INEC? Your guess is as good as mine.

From the available data, less than 40% of registered voters usually turn up to vote. Voter apathy is still a big challenge in our elections.

If it is estimated that 50% of registered voters appear (for the 2023 general election, approximately 47 million voters), each polling unit will not have more than 275 voters, which will reduce the logistical management of election materials and voters by half.

I understand the president of EXMAN, Tunji Adeyinka, is willing to lead his colleagues to make a formal presentation at the invitation of INEC to sort out the logistical nightmare that is now happening again in the next election.

To illustrate the point, there was a time a well-known milk brand sold in every part of Nigeria sponsored a national mathematics competition for secondary schools for 15 consecutive years. The exam has the distinction of being scandal-free – including leaks that would damage the integrity of the competition and tarnish the brand’s image.

One of the EXMAN agencies was assigned to organize the competition. Mathematics exam for junior high school and high school in two parts (theoretical and objective), in line with the WAEC syllabus.

The first stage examination was held for both categories in all 36 states and Abuja at the same time on the same day in more than 200 centers nationwide. Each state has a minimum of three centers, based on senatorial zones.

This means that sealed question papers and answer sheets are distributed a few days into the exam weekend with a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) signed by all relevant partners.

The answer sheet was then sent to the examiner in Lagos. After the assessment, the best two students from each state and FCT – one each from the junior and senior categories – and their teachers were invited to Lagos for the second round of examinations. Usually, they will arrive on Friday and leave on Sunday.

Out of the 74 students (37 students from JSS and 37 from SSS), the top 10 in each category and their teachers were invited to Abuja for the national prize-giving ceremony and stayed at the Transcorp Hilton for two nights. It is an experience that students always look forward to. Parents are also free to enter at their own expense.

Are there any challenges? Oh yes, agencies have truckloads. Some principals who want to win the grand prize at the expense of hiring mercenaries to write math exams. Such cheating attempts have been anticipated and the affected schools have been recorded.

Now, if the principal can devise a plan to cheat in the same way that some parents shamelessly take question papers for their children in the equal opportunity examination, is it surprising that some bad eggs are also recruited by INEC?

We cannot set a different standard for INEC in a society where the prevailing code is to cut corners amid a widespread culture of impunity. People hired by INEC are friends, relatives, colleagues and friends; they live with us and did not come down from the moon.

If Nigeria is to be a better place, everyone must take responsibility for their actions and not blame others. It doesn’t matter if the anomaly is voter suppression, ballot box grabbing, vote buying or exam cheating – bad is bad.

Individually and collectively, let us stand up for what is right because no part of Nigeria is immune from evil practices that destroy our values ​​and destroy the morals of our society.

Let us wait and see what improvements INEC will make on Saturday, March 11 during the gubernatorial and state assembly elections.

Ehi Braimah is a public relations strategist and publisher/editor Naija Times.