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ALAUSA ALERT, January 2014
C
Jega And The
Burden Of History
T
he history of election and electoral
bodies in Nigeria is one that is
characterised by controversies. From
the first election of December 12, 1959 to the
Anambra election of November 15, 2013,
Nigerians have not had it good with
elections, as they have had to contend with
series of woes and scary tales each time they
attempt to choose their representatives in
government. Elections in Nigeria have been
particularly marred by all sorts of
malpractices and colossal fraud that have
made the people lose confidence in the
process and the umpires. The first electoral
body in Nigeria, the Electoral Commission of
Nigeria (ECN), which conducted the 12th
December 1959 general elections into local
councils, regional and federal legislatures
ended up with dismal performance. The
election was supervised by Mr. R. E. Wraith.
ECN was later replaced by the Federal
Electoral Commission (FEC) with Mr. Eyo
Esua as its chairman. The Esua-led
electoral body conducted the first postindependent general elections whose
outcome threw the nation into crisis that
partly led to the civil war of 1967-70.
elections in which the late President Umaru
Yar-Adua emerged as president and the
election has been adjudged as the worst in
the history of electoral process in the
country. Late President Umaru Yar-Adua,
who was a beneficiary of the defective
process was to later concede that the
election that produced him was marred by
many irregularities. The judiciary has since
annulled the results of some of the elections.
Prof. Iwu is, indeed, reputed to have broken
records for electoral fraud and manipulation
in the country. The ignoble Ido Osi saga is
still fresh in the memory of Nigerians.
ADEREMI IBIROGBA
electoral frauds.
In 1983, the nation was thrown into
needless crisis because of electoral
manipulations perpetrated by electoral
officials in partnership with other
individuals and groups. In places like the old
Kano, Anambra, Plateau, Oyo, Ondo, Bendel
and others where the electoral process was
shamelessly compromised, hell was let loose
ensuing into sorrow, tears and blood. Many
homes in places like Akure, Modakeke, and
a host of others are yet to get over the ripple
effects of the aftermath of the electoral misadventure of 1983. The crisis that rocked the
nation due to the annulment of the June 12,
1993, election still lingers in our collective
memory. Perhaps more importantly, the
billions of naira spend by aggrieved
candidates and parties to engage in post
election judicial process could be spent on
other things that would better the lots of the
people and the country. While the judiciary
could also be spared the stress and
embarrassment of election petitions.
Then, came Professor Attahiru Jega, a
renowned radical lecturer with populist
antecedent. Jega was appointed by
President Goodluck Jonathan in June 2010
to head INEC. His first outing in the 2011
general elections, though relatively
successful, was marred by late arrival of
electoral personnel and materials to voting
centres, faulty voters' register, hi-tech
rigging and numerous other logistic
problems. If Jega's outing in 2011 was
considered a relative success, his It is with a view to avoiding pitfalls of the past
subsequent outings in Ondo, Delta, that could throw the nation into avoidable
With the lifting of the ban on political A n a m b r a a n d o t h e r p l a c e s w e r e turmoil that one would like to admonish
activities on September 12, 1978, the monumental disasters. One identified Professor Jega and his men to tread the path
Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO),
headed by Chief Michael Ani, was
It is with a view to avoiding pitfalls of the past that could throw the
established to organize the 1979 general
nation into avoidable turmoil that one would like to admonish
elections. The election was flawed in many
Professor Jega and his men to tread the path of caution as they
ways resulting in the controversial 'twelve
two -third majority' question. Justice Victor
prepare for elections in Ekiti and Osun States this year and the
E. Ovie Whiskey who held sway as Chairman
general elections in 2015. If what happened in Anambra is allowed
of FEDECO from 1980 to 1983, positioned
to be replicated in the coming elections, Jega and his men would
FEDECO for failure by collaborating with
the then ruling National Party of Nigeria,
not be able to prevent the wrath of the people
NPN, to massively rig the 1983 general
elections and ended up declaring winner in
the middle of the night, thus subsequently challenge that has become a recurring of caution as they prepare for elections in
leaving the military with the alibi to take over decimal in the Jega-led INEC is logistic Ekiti and Osun States this year and the
st
problem. In its outings so far, INEC has
government in December 31 , 1983.
shown dexterity in deliberately making
shoddy preparation for elections. It has won
Having found its way back into government,
election s for its masters through voter
the military under the leadership of Gen.
depopulation and inadequate arrangements
Ibrahim Babangida (rtd.), appointed Prof.
for the transportation of sensitive election
Eme Awa in 1987 to head the newly formed
materials to polling stations and to collation
National Electoral Commission (NEC). But
centres. Result sheets disappeared and reAwa's NEC was only able to conduct the
appeared in different forms at collation
1987 Local Government election after which
centres while corrupt party agents simply
he resigned his appointment. Prof.
sold unused ballot papers to the highest
Humphrey Nwosu , who succeeded Awa in
bidder.
1989 conducted the
contentious June
12,1993 general elections. Gen.
Abdulsalami Abubakar who took over after Incompetence and gross acts of misconduct
the death of Abacha appointed Justice that have been demonstrated over the years
Ephraim Akpata to head the newly formed by the various electoral umpires and their
Independent National Electoral Commission members have resulted into colossal losses
(INEC). This commission conducted the to the nation. For one, it provided the military
flawed elections that produced retired with the perfect excuse to intervene in
General Olusegun Obasanjo as President in governance in the country the outcome of
1999. With the death of Akpata in January which the country is yet to get over from. The
2000, Dr Abel Guobadia, was appointed by country still contend with the outcome of the
the Obasanjo government to conduct the misrule of military rulers such as OBJ,IBB,
heavily rigged 2003 general election that Abacha and their likes. Second, numerous
lives and properties have been lost to the
aided Obasanjo's second tenure in office.
electoral process in the country. The
immediate post independent crisis that
The coming of Prof. Maurice Iwu in 2005, as
engulfed the country was an outcome of
the Chairman of INEC took election rigging
biased electoral conducts. The famous 'wild
in the country to another height and
wild west' crisis of the 60's, which claimed
dimension. Iwu conducted the 2007 general
many lives and properties, was a response to