BEFORE I comment on the 2011 general election in Nigeria especially the way forward, it is most appropriate to look at elections in post-colonial Nigeria and after independence, which I think and believe have been vexed issues. This is because they have always been accompanied with acrimony, bitterness, killing, maiming, among others.The last elections held in Nigeria under British colonial rule were in December 1959. The elections ushered in Nigerias independence on October 1, 1960, while the first post colonial general election took place in December 1964. As campaign for the election started, the United Progressive Grand Alliance (UPGA), one of the coalitions of parties that fought the elections, alleged intimidation and denial of freedom to operate by the Nigerian National Alliance (NNA), the opposing coalition, against its candidates. The situation degenerated that UPGA resolved to boycott the elections. There was tension in Nigeria, as a way out of the crisis, broad-based government was agreed upon.However, in less than one year, that is in November 1965 another election crisis engulfed Nigeria. This has to do with elections into the Western Nigeria House of Assembly. The ruling party in that region, the Nigerian National Democratic Party (NNDP) made sure that many candidates of the opposition parties were unable to get their nomination through and that ballot papers were made available to its supporters well in advance. In addition, regulations that dealt with the counting of votes and the announcing of results were not adhered to.Eventually, the NNDP was declared winner of the elections. Consequently, the announcement unleashed a reign of violence on the region. Operation wetie that is, spray fuel and set lives and property ablaze. As the violence continued, the Nigeria army on January 15, 1966 stepped in to stop further bloodshed and destruction.As part of efforts to disengage the junta from political scene and return to the barracks, the army organised elections in 1979. There were allegations of election rigging and other malpractice were also observed. As a result, the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), one of the parties that took part in the elections, went to court to challenge the result. We are aware of this term stolen Presidency, which has since become part of Nigerias political vocabulary.In the 1983 general elections, the ruling party, the National Party of Nigeria (NPN), was returned to power. The UPN complained bitterly over rigging of the election as was done in 1979. On the 31st of December 1983, the junta (boys in khaki) intervened once more and took over the government.It is also true to say that the presidential election of June 12, 1993 was also dogged by controversy. It was organised as the last phase of the timetable to end the juntas rule. The election believed to be the freest and fairest in Nigerias post-independence history, was cancelled by the Army itself because a body, the Association for Better Nigeria (ABN) that alleged corruption in the nomination of Chief M.K.O. Abiola, had gone to court and obtained a ruling thai the election be postponed and the electoral umpire, the National Electoral Commission (NEC) failed to abide by the ruling.The 1999 general election to finally disengage the military from politics were also rigged like previous elections in Nigeria.There were allegations on shortage of electoral materials at the polling centres, about thumb printing of ballot papers outside polling centres, about voting returns bearing little resemblance to the poor turnout of voters, etc. The All Peoples Party (APP)/ Action for Democracy (AD) alliance went to court to challenge the declaration of the Peoples Democracy Party (PDP) candidate as the winner.In the 2003 and 2007 elections, worse malpractice were even alleged to have taken place. It was alleged that ballot boxes were said to have been snatched from electoral officers and substituted with already stuffed ones by God or Allah knows whom. Double thumb printing and thereby voiding of votes cast for the opponent was alleged to have been carried out. In some centres, according to reports, electoral officials failed to turn up, and consequently there was no voting at such centres. In spite of this, results were later allegedly declared for them. In some others, results were allegedly doctored and monitored through corroboration between officials of the electoral body and party agents.It was further reported that a lot of eligible voters were disenfranchised. I think and believe the introduction and the use of data capturing machines in 2007 must have made millions of eligible voters not to register. This is because would-be voters trooped from one registration centre to another in the quest to be registered.For the way forward in the ongoing 2011 general election and beyond, we should endeavour as much as practicable to make our elections less acrimonious and crisis prone. Furthermore, it is appropriate that there should be. a redoubled effort on the part of the three tiers of government and the masses to make our electoral process a success.It is absolutely necessary for the government on its part to ensure good political environment that is free of intimidation, which provide for all contestants a fair and level playing ground to file their nomination papers, move around to campaign and use the media (both publicly and privately owned). Also, incumbent candidates must not misuse public resources for campaigns. In addition, security agents must remain neutral and sufficient in order to maintain law and order and prevent ballot-box snatching. There is need also for adequate and timely funding of the electoral body. This must be seen as a compulsory task that needs to be achieved with speed and alacrity.Soeze wrote in from the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun, Delta State.
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