By Akpo Mudiaga-Odje

Indeed, the just concluded voters registration exercise has again brought to fore the awkward mentality of our Nigerian leaders and rulers, by always waiting until the last minute before embarking on the implementation of government policies, be they urgent or otherwise. In retrospect, the Federal Government kick-started the process for the registration in a rather clumsy manner in the first place by wasting so much time before replacing the erstwhile chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Prof Maurice Iwu.

Appointment of Chairman of INEC

Prof. Attahiru Jega, Chiarman, INEC

The president operating in an acting capacity at the material time coupled with the pressure of the political situation, perhaps did not have sufficient time or opportunity to replace the former chairman Prof Iwu almost immediately.

Eventually, when he became the substantive president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan had to contend with the challenges and trappings of the office which required urgent attention and that again delayed his immediate focus on the electoral process.

Subsequently, however, the incumbent chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega was appointed, and this was after several months by which presents, time had already eaten into the political time table for the forthcoming elections.

INEC Chairman applies for funds to conduct the voters registration exercise

Even with so much time already spent in this respect, INEC thereafter applied for N88.7 billion for the Voters Registration exercise. After another round of vacillation and oscillation by the National Assembly and INEC, the money was approved by the parliament. However, Prof Jega was later to alert the nation, that only N16 billion was initially released to him as against the N88.7 billion earlier approved. Regrettably again, this issue dragged on for sometime before it was eventually released in full. In all this, time being eternally constant was still eating deeper into the political time table.

Importation of DDC machines

After these series of delays and bureaucratic bottlenecks, INEC finally proceeded to import the machines for the Voters exercise. Rather sadly, some of the machines were stolen on arrival at the airport. What a shame. National Assembly and its Series of Amendments to the Constitution and Electoral Act.

On their part, the jumbo salaried propelled members of the National Assembly perhaps added much more to the delay by amending, re-amending and/or drafting or redrafting the Electoral Act as well as the Constitution.

There were intrigues and fratricidal conflicts in the debates leading to these amendments, most of which bothered on the Electoral Act. Yet time being eternal was still eating deeper and deeper into the political time table of the nation.

Finally when the Electoral Act was shunned out, Section 9(5) which governs the duration of the voters registration provides that: “The registration of voters, updating and revision of the register of voters under this section shall not later than 60 days before any election covered by this Act”.

This was in addition to the earlier amendment of the hitherto amended 1999 Constitution to give INEC up till April 2011 to conduct the elections. This amendment in my humble view was highly unnecessary having regard to the undisputed fact that the previously existing Unamended 1999 Constitution had already given INEC up till April 2011 to conduct the elections (See Sections 76(2), 116(2), 132(2) and 178(2) thereof) Sections 9(5) of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.

The above Section 9(5) of the Electoral Act has now been amended by deleting the words “60 days” and replacing it with “30 days” before the date fixed for elections. This last minute rush mentality of the Nigerian State as personified by our leaders, goes to show the content of the characters of our leaders. A nation in haste will surely make many mistakes. A nation in rush will definitely continue to amend and re-amend its electoral laws, like a little kid mutilating important documents, without knowing its implication.

For how on earth did INEC think it will complete Voters Registration exercise in just two weeks. In two weeks INEC wants to register almost half of the population of Nigeria, now put at over 150 million people.

One does not therefore need the clairvoyance of Nostradamus to know that a voters registration exercise slated for two weeks will surely FAIL.

Getting it right for Nigeria

We must now learn to take a cue from the nations of the world which are doing very well in this respect. From within Africa, South African and Ghana stand out as countries where the leadership and their people implement government policies on time for the effective benefit of their people. We must not always wait until the last minute before we embark on implementation of government policies for our people. As we speak, elections are slated to start from 9th April, 2011, barely weeks away, yet voters registration is still hopelessly defective if not a comprehensive failure.

Elections are weeks away yet the political parties have not complied with Section 31 of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended by submitting names of successful candidates. Elections are weeks away yet we are still doing party ordered re_run primaries. An Election Petition Challenging Yar Adua’s Electoral Victory in the 2007 Election is still pending before the court in 2011.

As we prepare for the forthcoming elections from April 9, 2011, please be informed that an election petition earlier on, filed against the electoral victory of President Umaru Yar Adua of blessed memory is still pending before the Court of Appeal, Abuja, having been sent back for trial by the Supreme Court. In other words, whereas we are looking forward to new elections in April 2011, the case now pending is looking backward to April 2007.

Conclusion

Notwithstanding the above, the fact that an election petition challenging the validity of the presidential elections held in April 2007 about four years ago, is still pending before a Court of Appeal not even the final Court i.e. Supreme Court, speaks volume of the kind of country and leaders we have. Oh my fatherland.