MATTERS ARISING FROM EKITI STATE POLLS
The Ekiti election bodes well for democracy
In the just concluded Ekiti State Governorship election, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) acquitted itself fairly credibly. The recording and electronic upload of results was prompt and free from the usual flip flops. The completion of the entire process and announcement of final results was also prompt and with little acrimony so far. The same pattern was observed in the six (federal and state) legislative by-elections conducted by the Commission across five geo-political zones in the country.
At the end, voters exercised their franchise largely without disruption. The police and other law enforcement agencies did their work professionally. Election materials were deployed on time to polling units while INEC officials were also responsive to duty as they followed established protocols for accreditation and voting, contributing to the general orderly process. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) came into good reckoning. In the Ekiti gubernatorial election, except for glitches in a few locations where accreditation was delayed, the BVAS worked at an optimal level. Perhaps even more notable was the uploading of polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV) which progressed admirably well. According to reports, over 85 per cent of polling unit results were uploaded by 7:30pm on Election Day.
However, while we congratulate the re-elected Biodun Oyebanji who secured a decisive victory across the 16 local government areas thus becoming the first governor to win back-to-back in the state, the election has raised once again familiar concerns about the current state of our democracy. As in many recent elections and by-elections, voter turnout was low, at about 30 per cent of registered and accredited voters. This low turnout is a factor of increasing alienation of voters and rising distrust of government and the capacity of democracy to enthrone responsible and accountable governance. The rancorous partisan atmosphere has also left the electorate more confused and less interested in the ritual of voting. In Ekiti, barely 385,000 people voted among almost one million registered voters, a dismal trend that has for long underlined our electoral process across the country. The trend raises salient questions about the essence of government.
Quite troubling too were incidents of voter inducement recorded during the election. It is unfortunate that vote buying has become a dominant variable in our elections, even with all its negative impact on the country’s democratic space. Indeed, Yiaga Africa, a civic observer during the elections, raised red flags over widespread vote-buying, stressing that while election administration has improved, “vote buying and management lapses remain serious threats to Nigeria’s electoral integrity.” And despite the posturing by the opposition, all the parties were deeply involved, according to most reports.
This disturbing trend needs to be tackled by law enforcement agencies so as to ensure that politicians do not exploit mass poverty to transform democratic mandate into a merchandise available to the highest bidder. But all factors considered, there is little doubt about the outcome of the election. It was pleasing to notice less acrimony among the political elite of Ekiti in the run up to the election. This factor may have contributed to the peaceful atmosphere before and after the election. What INEC must recognise is that Ekiti is in a regional environment where there is little contestation of the geopolitical and predictable partisan leaning of the populace.
As we therefore move gradually towards the 2027 general election, there should be strict compliance to electoral regulations by all the political actors. It is also important for security agencies to plot strategies on how to deter vote buying. In addition, INEC should be on top of issues that could undermine public confidence in the electoral institutions. For instance, the commission will do well to come clean on the controversy surrounding the unauthorised exposure of the voter registration details of a citizen on social media by a partisan public official. Culprits must be identified and brought to justice.
Overall, the relative success of the Ekiti governorship election points more to the bright prospects for Nigerian democracy. The challenge is to isolate and multiply the positives and use them to make the 2027 general election. That is perhaps the only way to restore public confidence in our electoral process.
