By Augustine Akhilomen
After a month of conducting the September 21 Edo election, which outcome produced the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Monday Okpebholo, as gov-elect, all eyes will again be on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the umpire to give the people of Ondo State a free and fair election that should reflect the wishes and aspirations of voters in the Sunshine State.
The election, which is slated for November 16, will afford the commission the opportunity to correct some of the wrongs that befell the Edo election and ensure that the process and the outcome are transparent and credible.
Although INEC has reiterated its commitment to conducting a free, fair, and credible election in Ondo State on November 16, and correct mistakes of the past, many political observers are however skeptical and doubtful of the commission’s lack of transparency and readiness to conduct election in a state talk-less of a country. More worrisome to them, is the failure of the commission to collate results in a transparent manner.
This was evident in Edo, where many electoral observers faulted the process and conduct of the election, which was marred with controversy and visible bias by electoral officials. For example, there are accusations that election materials were deliberately delayed to favour candidate of the ruling party, APC.
Besides, absence of policemen in some of the polling units also affected the poor turnout of voters during the Edo election, thereby giving political thugs and politicians to hijack the voting process and perpetuate their act without being checked.
“It is worrisome that INEC failed to meet the expectations of the people at the Edo election, raising fears that the same thing may be repeated in the Ondo governorship election”, says Tunde Folarin, A Lagos based lawyer.
Interestingly, there has been widespread controversy with regards to the alleged claim by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) that the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Ondo State, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Babalola, has ties with the APC.
It was alleged that her familiarity with the state and its political leaders could compromise the credibility of the electoral process. Adding to the whole drama, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State had also called on INEC’s Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, to remove Babalola.
Makinde claimed that Babalola’s alleged ties to the APC could undermine the Ondo election, warning that the PDP would not stand by if the integrity of the election were at risk. He said the PDP would continue protesting until Babalola’s redeployment, emphasizing the need for fairness and transparency in the election. “We will protest until she is removed. Bring another REC that will allow a level playing field. We, as PDP, are not afraid of a fair contest,” Makinde said. The party insists that the people of Ondo State are determined to vote for their candidate, Alfred Agboola, and warned against any attempts to manipulate the election.
But INEC has debunked the claims of Makinde, saying that the REC is not from Ondo as alleged by the Oyo State Governor. According to the electoral umpire, Gov. Makinde had made a similar allegation in 2020 ahead of the last Governorship Election in the state.
In a statement, the electoral umpire said “For the avoidance of doubt, Mrs. Babalola is not from Ondo State in line with the Commission’s policy not to deploy a REC to his or her State of origin. In 2020, ahead of the last Governorship election in the same State, he accused a senior official of the Commission of working with the Vice Chancellor of a federal university to undermine the election. The allegation was untrue.
“We appeal to holders of high public office such as Governor Makinde to verify their information before making these serial, unfounded allegations”.
Meanwhile, the European Union Support for Democratic Governance in Nigeria and the International Press Centre have urged INEC to build citizens’ trust in the electoral process through transparency as well as timely and accurate communication.
The Executive Director of IPC, Lanre Arogundade, who spoke on behalf of the organizers, said that citizens’ trust in the election management body was a necessary condition for polls to be acceptable, saying such could be achieved by INEC through “conveying messages that are accurate, timely, and accessible.”.
“Clear and transparent communication is essential for building trust with the electorate, ensuring that citizens are well-informed about the electoral processes, and addressing any concerns that may arise.
“From our work on elections, we discovered that there are elements of mistrust on the part of the people on INEC. We believe that if INEC engages the electorate very well, then they may be able to regain their trust. Trust matters.
“When there is no trust, no matter what INEC does, the perception will be there that they are not doing it very well. My advice to INEC in Ondo State is for them to understand the crisis of perception. So they have to prepare for it to ensure people have the required confidence in the electoral process.”
However, a political analyst, Segun Ayorinde, in a chat with Thepledge, said that INEC must correct the anomalies that have plagued past elections in Nigeria if they are to achieve a positive result.
“There is no doubt that it will be difficult for most voters to expect a credible, free, and fair election when they know that in the past their votes didn’t count.
“This is one of many steps INEC must correct in order to win the hearts of the electorates. For me, I hope the Ondo governorship election will provide the best answers for the people of the state.
In the same vein, a political commentator, Aliu Oloyede, opined that INEC has the opportunity of redeeming their image after conducting a shambolic election in Edo State.
“This is the best time for INEC to redeem its image after conducting a shameful election in Edo State, where there was massive election fraud.
“I really hope that there will be a change of approach in the Ondo governorship election because, from the look of things, I doubt if INEC will learn from their past mistakes. I don’t really think INEC is fully prepared to make that big change.”
The INEC boss Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has however said the commission has learned lessons from some of the shortcomings in the Edo State election.
Yakubu, who was in Akure, the Ondo State capital, ahead of the November 16 governorship election, said the problems are in result management and in the area of logistics for the election.
According to him, “We are here, essentially, to observe what is happening and to acknowledge the good work that the office has done. Over the next few days, we will be meeting with political parties, civil society organizations, the media, and security agencies.
“One of our planned activities includes further accreditation of voters, which will take place in 16 polling units across six local government areas within the three senatorial zones of the state.
On the lessons learned from the Edo State governorship election and previous elections, Yakubu said,” I have learned valuable lessons, not only from the last election but also from previous ones. Essentially, there are two key challenges.
“The first is logistics — ensuring that polling units open promptly on Election Day. The second challenge is result management. My assurance to voters in Ondo State is that they will witness significant improvements in these areas.”
Even so, while there is a need to encourage residents of the state to exercise their civic rights, INEC’s responsibility to ensure a transparent, credible, and fair election cannot be overemphasized.
The lack of trust in the system is evident, and this skepticism undermines democratic participation and erodes the foundation of citizen engagement in governance. INEC therefore has a unique opportunity in the Ondo election to demonstrate its commitment to change.
It is believed that a credible electoral process would reinforce the belief that citizens’ voices matter and that they have the power to hold their leaders accountable.
The world will be watching to see how INEC and other relevant agencies would perform their duties without fear or favour and Nigerians would want to see a credible and transparent process that would lead to a credible and free and fair outcome in next week’s governorship election in Ondo State.