INEC and its macabre dance

Adeze Ojukwu

These are very trying times for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The commission is clearly, swirling in a macabre dance, that is not only acerbic but cataclysmic.

Unfortunately, the agency has inadvertently exposed its underbelly to ridicule and shame, through the cocktail of unjustifiable excuses and deficiencies, it has continued to display.

This has, indisputably, further blighted the image of Nigeria, the pride of Africa in terms of its huge natural resources and hub of notable figures in science, medicine, sports, music, culture and enterprise.

 It is certainly too early, to predict, how this sordid and convoluted mission will play out.

Only time will tell the final dénouement of this nebulous script.

This quagmire is reminiscent of the famous lines in William Shakespeare’s classical play Macbeth. “Still it cried, Sleep no more! to all the house. Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor Shall sleep no more. Macbeth shall sleep no more.”

Indeed, ever since, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, declared the winner of the presidential election, despite allegations of violence, the disenchantment of voters and other breaches of the exercise, sleep and peace seem to have fled from many hearts and homes.

The commission has continued to dominate discussions in the nation’s public and media space.

Mahmood has on a number of occasions, publicly acknowledged that there were glitches in the conduct of the polls. But the throbbing question is whether to overlook these contentious issues and simply move on in the interest of peace.

However, can peace exist without justice? As usual, this debate has polarised the nation, with many supporting the commission’s stance. However many citizens, particularly, the teeming population of youths who trooped out to exercise their franchise have refused to move on.

Their demand is a thorough investigation of the entire process, in order to prosecute those who willfully colluded with desperate politicians to subvert the election.

Given the billions of naira budgeted for the election, the commission really has to be subjected to a serious audit of the election.

This will certainly assuage the wrath across the land, against INEC, which has continued to receive knocks from many nationals and foreigners, over alleged infractions of the Electoral Act 2022.

Details of the law are stipulated in Clause 38 of the INEC Regulations and Guidelines for the Conduct of Elections, 2022. “Upon completion of all the Polling Unit voting and results and procedures, the Presiding Officer shall:

-(i) Electronically transmit or transfer the result of the Polling Unit, direct to the collation system as prescribed by the commission.

-(ii) Use BVAS to upload a scan of ES8A to INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV), as prescribed by the commission.”

The commission’s failure to abide by these regulations is the major cause of protests and agitations in several quarters.

Several international monitoring groups and foreign media have criticized the exercise as “a sham,” because “it fell below the expectations of Nigerians.”

As the aggrieved parties head to the courts for redress, otherwise termed “a long legal war,” INEC will continue to be in the eye of the storm, over these controversies.

The consequences of this unfortunate outing are motley, with voter apathy and lack of trust in the nation’s electoral process, as some of the major concerns.