Anambra: All eyes on INEC
The gubernatorial election coming up Saturday in Anambra State is yet another acid test for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). So far, the commission has acquitted itself well in the manner it goes about its business of conducting elections since 2011.
After the 2011 general elections adjudged by local and international observers as one of the freest since 1999, INEC went ahead to repeat the feat in some states, particularly Edo and Ondo.
However, despite the sterling performances, there were a few black legs in the commission whose activities in those elections nearly marred the good reputation of the electoral umpire.
Anambra election on Saturday happens to be one in the series of other gubernatorial elections to be conducted before the general elections in 2015. INEC must be wary of the antics of contending parties to soil its hands. The good reputation that has been built over time must not be made nonsense of just in a moment.
The commission must not broach any activity that could be seen to be partisan. Anambra election is strategic in the sense that it is believed that it is a state where money flows freely during such contests; the temptation may be for INEC staff to play some hanky panky for gratification.
There must be adequate logistics. We believe that necessary materials for the election will be deployed to the various centres on time to ensure people are not disenfranchised. INEC, in league with appropriate and relevant agencies must identify flashpoints and ensure that necessary arrangements are designed to take care of any challenge that might arise from such areas.
The commission must prove wrong the prediction of cynics that the election would not be credible. Some parties had insinuated recently that INEC officials would not deliver properly.Tales of imported mercenaries and already thumb-printed ballot papers are making the rounds in Anambra.
A commentator said: “Thursday or Friday night, result sheets may be filled out inside hotel rooms, bedrooms, shrines, forests and other unusual places. There may therefore be a ‘peaceful’, ‘orderly’ and ‘well organised’ election on Saturday, but the results to be announced may not reflect the wishes of the people. And few people will be willing to fight for justice.”
We sincerely hope the exercise will not go that way. All efforts must be geared toward checking desperate parties and their candidates whose intention is to rig and subvert the wishes of the people of Anambra State. INEC must ensure that rules guiding voting must be followed to the letter.
The state government under Peter Obi must ensure that there is adequate security to enable voters move freely and exercise their franchise without harassment. There must be a level playing field for all contenders so that whoever emerges victorious at the end of the day out of the 23 contenders would be seen to have indeed fought a good fight.
Anything capable of dragging the state into a long period of legal actions, wasteful expenditure or even violent eruptions must be avoided. The wish of Anambra people must be respected by declaring winner whoever they may decide to vote for on Saturday. Anything to the contrary may be a direct invitation to anarchy.
We also call on the eligible voters of the state to be civil in the exercise of their rights at the polling centres. Those who may decide to trade their future for momentary satisfaction with a few naira notes or other ephemeral things may discover too late that they had done to themselves a huge disservice.
We want to emphasise that whatever they sow on Saturday with their voters’ cards will be what they will reap for the next four years and beyond. It is not possible for them to sow to the wind and reap a gentle breeze, but a whirlwind. The world is watching with bated breath.