UK Polls and the lesson for INEC by Seun Bisuga

I’ve been of the opinion that INEC’s shoddy handling of Nigeria elections has been the bane of good governance and economic progress in the largest black nation in the world. Not only were voters able to express themselves by freely electing the Labour Party but they did so without fear that ballot boxes could be hijacked by political thugs.

I know many will argue that the UK does not have insecurity like Nigeria and I do agree but the question is, what can INEC do differently? For starters, voting should be held in buildings and not on the streets or under the trees or in any open place for that matter. This action will reduce the number of incidences that are recorded during the election season.

In most countries, people queue from outside and walk into a building where they cast their vote. Given the insecurity in Nigeria, this makes sense. instead of having police officers strewn the streets, they could all be stationed at these buildings.

People who will be allowed to go into the building are verified INEC officials, verified party delegates and the voters. Any other person who has not been cleared to vote will not be allowed inside the building.

What does this achieve? Firstly, it reduces the influence that vote-buying has on our electioneering process. Any politician who wants to pay voters can do so at their peril because they will not have access to who the voters have really voting for. The days of showing your ballot papers from a distance will be forgotten. Once in the building, voters can freely vote their candidate behind the booth and they do not and cannot show their ballot papers to the politician who has paid them. Most politicians will have to rely on the word of the voters which in most cases will prove to be dicey until the results are announced.

Secondly, voters are not exposed to the environmental hazards that could occur on election day. Voters can avoid standing long hours directly in the sun or rain to cast their vote. Many reports have shown that Nigerian voters often abandon the process because it is draining.

Then there is security. No sane person wants to die casting a vote. Holding elections inside buildings means that ballot snatching will be reduced if not drastically but at least overtime. The liberty with which ballot box snatchers destroy our voting process will be reduced because they would not have unfettered access to the voting area.

Just as there are security operatives on the outside, there would be some stationed on the inside to ensure that voting is done almost seamlessly. Anyone seeking to cause trouble can be removed from the building.

There are those who will say that the building can be attacked, yes, this is true but it would be reduced and that should be the first motive of INEC as it seeks to improve on the electioneering process.

Issues that bother on BVAS, IReV, and other technological and mechanical tools can be better managed from inside than outside. INEC officials do not have voters, politicians and other players breathing down their necks as they seek to do their jobs.

If INEC truly wants to improve the electioneering process and deliver transparent and accountable elections this should be top of its ‘To Do’ list.

Nigeria’s national election is not until 2027. INEC can begin to look for indoor venues across the country that it would use and we have plenty of them especially with event centres littering the country. Nigeria has enough primary and secondary schools as well as gyms in universities.

This does not eliminate all fears of insecurity especially as it concerns who the people voted and who INEC announced but it does reduces it. INEC should send its personnel to participate by observing in other polls across the world. This is the standard and it does not need rocket science to achieve it.