IPNEWS: Nigeria and Liberia are among African countries, including Gabon, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, Sudan, and Zimbabwe that have so far held presidential elections at different times in 2023, according to the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa.
Given its political strength, the self-acclaimed African giant and the most populated country of black people had been expected to observe principled, free and fair electoral process among the comity of nations planning to hold their general elections, with the thought that such an admirable display by Nigeria would deepen democratic ethos on the continent. But while Nigeria returned a shamefully shambolic general election, Liberia, a country with 5.193 million people, the same population of Rivers State, taught the African giants hard lessons in electoral fidelity and values.
The West African country became a beacon of hope for democracy in the continent when its president and candidate of the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), George Weah, openly conceded defeat to his former vice and opposition leader, Joseph Boakai, after a fiercely-contested presidential poll between October and November.
“Ladies and gentlemen, tonight, the CDC (party) has lost the election, but Liberia has won. This is the time for graciousness in defeat, to put national interest above personal interest.
“The Liberian people have spoken, and we have heard their voice. However, the closeness of the results reveals a deep division within our country,” the former international football star had said in his speech, even before the country’s National Elections Commission (NEC) announced the results of the presidential election.
According to some observers, Weah’s concession of defeat despite being armed with the power of incumbency, which he could have used to rig himself back into power, was very emulative, considering how repulsive military coups d’etats had almost shattered Africa’s democratic credentials in the year.
Many were of the view that aside from being reminiscent of the exceptional statesmanship and political maturity displayed by former Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan that saved the country from post-electoral killings and crisis in 2015, Weah’s action and the rancour-free conduct of the presidential election were indicative of the country’s progressive political culture and the outstanding efforts made by its electoral commission.
Some people also observed that Weah’s action was a complete shift from the current prevailing situation in Nigeria where the nature and character of politics is that anyone who captures power captures strength and wealth, which they say is why politicians are desperate to get into power to access the nation’s treasury. Those of this school of thought further argued that Nigerian politicians, unlike their Liberian counterparts, often do anything possible including instigating violence and engaging in vote buying just to win elections as so far demonstrated in 2023 polls.
Unlike the Liberian NEC, INEC has failed two critical integrity tests so far this year. The first was the February/March general election, the most expensive in Nigeria’s history. Having been steeled with both the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) and the 2022 Electoral Act, it was expected that the election would further strengthen the country’s 23-year-old democracy and restore the depleted public confidence in its electoral process, but the poll fell short of the reasonable expectations of the global audience as various incidences of voter suppression, intimidation, calculated disenfranchisement, killings, ballot-box snatching, and thuggery cast a pall over its credibility, according to the Joint Election Observation Mission of the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI).
In their assessment of the overall performance of agencies associated with the election and its security, the 40-member delegation of the two United States Institutes, led by Joyce Banda, a former President of Malawi, said logistical challenges and multiple incidents of political violence overshadowed the electoral process and prevented many voters from participating.
“The mission notes that despite the much-needed reforms to the Electoral Act 2022, the election fell well short of Nigerian citizens’ reasonable expectations. Logistical challenges and multiple incidents of political violence overshadowed the electoral process and impeded a substantial number of voters from participating,” the delegation had stated.
In its reaction, INEC afterward promised to look at the downturn of the election and improve on significant areas, but the many controversies that had since greeted the off-cycle elections it conducted in Bayelsa, Kogi, and Imo States last month seem not to reflect any fulfillment of the promise.
According to Chukwuma Chinye Jnr, a researcher at the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), “The off-cycle poll provided a stern examination of INEC’s purported logistical improvements, having faced significant criticism over several issues that marred the conduct of the general elections in February.”
In terms of demographics, about 11.7 million people populate the three states, which double the entire population of Liberia. More so, out of about 5.4 million voters who registered for the poll according to INEC, only 1,840,118 voters turned up on Election Day, translating to about 36 percent of the total number of voters with PVCs. In contrast, out of Liberia’s 5.4 million population and 1,798,930 registered voters, about 1, 288, 716 people voted in the elections which represent 71.6% voter turnout, according to Honourable James Fromayan, the country’s NEC chairman.
From the available empirical statistics, both the Nigerian off-cycle election and the Liberian presidential poll share the same voting demographics, but Nigeria’s INEC, observers say, failed to meet up with glowing expectations in both the November and February polls.
According to the CDD researcher, the systemic failure recorded during the off-cycle poll was indicative of INEC’s regression in its logistical capabilities since the general elections earlier this year. He said “The off-cycle elections were affected by the late arrival of INEC officials to polling units across the states. Based on reports from trained observers on the field, a substantial percentage of polling units began voting well after the designated 8:30 am commencement time. This delay affected 65% of the observed polling units in Bayelsa, 80% in Imo, and 40% in Kogi. Whilst it is important to take into cognizance the difficulty in transporting sensitive voting materials, particularly in riverine states like Bayelsa, it does not negate the responsibility which INEC has to conduct elections promptly.”
He noted that: “INEC seemingly lost a lot of trust and goodwill in the eyes of the Nigerian populace in the general elections in February, owing to widespread reports of collusion, BVAS malfunction, and election malpractice. Whilst there were noticeable improvements in the functionality of BVAS and the quick response time to malfunctions, a myriad of issues remain.
“The primary issue pertains to the lack of transparency and consistency with the introduction of technology in the electoral process. In the aftermath of the general elections in February, questions were asked about the reliability of BVAS as well as the independence of INEC as an election body. These are questions which INEC has failed to answer concretely despite repeated assurances of an improvement in the off-cycle elections.”
He further observed that: “The overarching trend which seems to cut across the Nigerian electoral process is that not much has changed. Incumbency was a key factor in the re-election of the Governors in Imo and Bayelsa. Similarly, INEC did not pull a substantial improvement in its ability to conduct free and fair elections. The dual effect of political continuity and INEC shortcomings leaves a familiar sense of institutional ineptitude and the lopsided influence money and intimidation have on the electoral processes in Nigeria. Whilst there are marginal improvements with BVAS, a lot of work needs to be done by all stakeholders to improve the conduct of elections.”
But it was a whole lot different in Liberia as incumbency never seemed to play any key role. The opposition leader, Boakai defeated President Weah by just over 28,000 votes in the runoff election conducted on November 14 by the NEC after the initial poll held on October 10 failed to produce a winner.
President Weah had failed to secure enough votes to avoid a runoff in the West African nation’s elections, with almost all the results counted. He had garnered 43.79 percent of votes in the October 10 poll, while former Vice President Joseph Boakai polled 43.49 percent, according to provisional results released by the Commission. The results indicated that none of the contenders got more than 50 percent of votes cast — the threshold required to be declared winner. Consequently, a run-off was declared. However, this is in sharp contrast with the Nigerian experience as a candidate is not constitutionally required to have more than 50 percent of the total votes cast before he could be declared the winner. President Bola Tinubu was declared the winner of the February 25 presidential poll with just 37 percent of the total votes cast. To some observers, this needs to be amended in the country’s Electoral Act if any elected president will be a true reflection of the absolute majority of Nigerian voters at a general election.
Moreover, in their post-electoral assessment of the Liberian election, many observers, who participated in the poll, have highlighted some cogent lessons INEC, and other stakeholders in the Nigerian political terrain can pick from the Liberian experience ahead of subsequent elections in the country.
The national chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Yabagi Yusuf, while briefing journalists during the weekend after he arrived from Monrovia, the Capital of Liberia, listed some of the laid-down administrative structures that culminated in the successful conduct of the election.
He said: “The country has a situation room in place many weeks before the election to track activities on campaigns and trouble spots. They have a well-equipped call center where calls on complaints from any part of the country are monitored 24/7. Police, immigration, and other security officials are stationed in the Situation room.
“On the day before the general election, Eminent Women of Africa in collaboration with other groups organized peace rallies across the country. On election day, developments are monitored and tracked as they happen, including details of the proceedings of the election in the polling units.
“We have taken time to emphasise the admirable role of the Eminent Women/Women situation room for the candour and discipline displayed by the citizens despite the election frenzy. The situation room was set up long before the election day and this contributed to building confidence and a peaceful atmosphere,” he explained.
He noted that “Tension and violence that is often associated with politics and elections in most African and emerging democracies were insignificant. We observed that the citizenry was very much enlightened on keeping the peace, reason, and the need to vote on issues at play.
“Enlightenment wasn’t just about voters’ education but awareness of the environment, action and inactions and rule of law. This is worthy of emulation.”
The IPAC Chairman further stated that: “On the election day, each poll station had an average of 7 polling units, and as early as 8.30 am when they arrived at the first one the turnout was huge where officers and party agents were all present. The same thing with the nine polling stations we observed. Even under the sun and in two cases rain, people stood on the cue waiting for their turn. The list of voters and their pictures were displayed on the walls of the area where the stations were located. Also, the pictures of each contestant and his/her name were on the ballot papers unlike in Nigeria. While this looks good, considering the sheer number of contestants and ever-changing list of candidates due to court orders, this may not be an option for our country for now.”
Nigeria, as notorious case study of how not to conduct election
Speaking in a similar vein, the National Coordinator of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said: “The election management body in Liberia is not populated by persons who are ethically challenged or people with moral deficiencies. The Liberian election organizing body has by the transparent, fair, free, and peaceful ways they conducted both the first presidential poll and the run-off election, demonstrated that they mean well for Liberia and not like what obtained in Nigeria’s past elections whereby the election managers, often sell the results to the highest bidders.
“Perhaps, after we reform the legislative and constitutional frameworks that are the enabling laws of INEC, we as a country should send INEC officials to Liberia, to undertake a study of how they conducted these last two elections with minimal disputes.
“The case of Nigeria is such a notorious case study of how not to organize an election due to the bribery of voters and the officials of INEC; so, they manipulate the outcomes of the election. And due to impunity and lawlessness, those manipulating elections in Nigeria often aren’t prosecuted and punished.
“What has happened in Liberia is symbolic. It is essentially a lesson to the world that all is not bad with democracy in Africa. The Liberians have shown the world that democracy works in Africa, but the problem of democracy is with some greedy politicians who are so unprincipled, indiscipline, and corrupt,” Comrade Onwubiko further stated.
Meanwhile, Yiaga Africa is also one of the top organizations that keenly observed the Liberian presidential election. The group deployed an Election Study and Observation Mission (ESOM) to understudy the electoral governance architecture in Liberia, especially the election results management system, and also to ascertain the role of electoral technology in the Liberia 2023 general elections as well as to observe the trends and patterns of citizens’ participation.
The group’s delegation was led by Dr Aisha Abdullahi, a former Commissioner for Political Affairs at the African Union Commission and former Nigerian Ambassador to Guinea, also a member of the board of Yiaga Africa. Other members of the mission include Senator Sharafadeen Alli, Chair of the Nigerian Senate Committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Honourable Prince Bayo Balogun, Chairman Nigerian House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters, Dr Asmau Maikudi, former INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner, Toyin Akinniyi, Vice President, Africa at Luminate, Ezenwa Nwagwu, Chair, Partners for Electoral Reform and Yiaga Africa board member, Francis Madugu, Deputy Country Director, National Democratic Institute (NDI), Nigeria, Maupe Ogun-Yusuf, Broadcast journalist, Channels Television, Esrom Ajanya, Project Coordinator, The Kukah Center, Olusegun Ogundare, Africa Head of Operations & Research, Yiaga Africa, Ibrahim Faruk, Africa Program Coordinator and Samson Itodo, Executive Director, Yiaga Africa.
The mission observed the pre-election, Election Day, and post-election processes and environment, including desk reviews, expert briefings, stakeholder meetings, press conferences, and key informant interviews.
The findings
Among its findings, the delegation noted that the Liberian NEC demonstrated commitment to effective election administration despite budget cuts, untimely release of election funding, infrastructural deficits, and minimal external support on election security.
It stressed that: “The early deployment of election materials, prompt commencement of voting, and transparent results tallying process reposed confidence in the electoral commission. The transition from manual to biometric voter registration provided a credible foundation for the elections. Yiaga Africa notes that the high turnout for the elections and active citizen engagement in the election signals great prospects for democratic consolidation in Liberia.”
In its key findings and lessons for Nigeria, the Yiaga Africa delegation observed that patriotism and national purpose drive citizens’ participation in the electoral process.
It said: “Based on preliminary results announced by the NEC, the turnout for the election is projected at over 70%. This impressive turnout was driven by a sense of patriotism and citizens’ commitment to a national purpose, which the mission noted in its observation and interaction with citizens and relevant stakeholders.
“Liberians displayed a special love for the country over political ideologies, interests, and affiliations. Long-term investment in civic education and transparent practices by the NEC produced a national consensus to ensure peaceful and credible elections, having experienced two devastating civil wars. The high turnout affirms public trust in elections as a democratic accountability.”
Transparency over speedy conclusion of electoral process
Another remarkable point the delegation observed during the Liberian election is an unwavering commitment to transparency over the speedy conclusion of the process, which was absent in the November off-cycle poll conducted by INEC.
The delegation said there was a firm commitment to transparency on the part of the electoral commission in managing the results tallying process.
“At the polling places and tallying centers, the NEC officials prioritized the openness of the process over the speedy completion of the process. The NEC officials meticulously enforced counting and results tallying procedures. In addition, objections and queries raised by party agents and observers on inconsistencies of results or misapplication of rules were addressed promptly by NEC officials in line with detailed procedures enshrined in the electoral legal framework,” the delegation noted.
It added that: “In Liberia, the entire process is conducted in the full view of poll watchers, party agents and observers. Photocopies of each of the results were made available and shared with poll watchers and party agents before the results were entered into the tallying system and projected for everyone present to confirm that the results were consistent with the tally system entry.”
The delegation further stated that: “The National Elections Commission (NEC) displayed high devotion to rules and procedures throughout the elections. Polling officials displayed excellent knowledge of the rules and enforced the guidelines at all election levels. In cases where the rules were flouted, the NEC rectified the issues expeditiously based on a detailed procedure outlined in the guidelines. This compliance with the rules ensures consistency and inspires public confidence in the electoral process. Political parties deployed well-trained party agents who carefully and professionally monitored the process with decorum.”
Recommendations for INEC
In a bid to replicate the electoral accomplishment in Nigeria, the delegation made some recommendations, among which it said “Political stakeholders should demonstrate a firm commitment to democracy and nation-building by upholding national values such as patriotism, integrity and public interest in electoral politics.”
It said: “INEC should review the format of ballot papers used in Nigeria elections to include photographs and names of candidates to improve the quality of electoral preferences and reduce invalidated votes.
“INEC should undertake a comprehensive audit of the voter register to eliminate duplications, multiple registrants, and ineligible voters to improve the integrity of the voter register. The audit process should be subjected to an independent citizen review to engender public trust.
“INEC and state electoral commissions should commit to greater transparency in election administration through proactive disclosure of election information and consistent application of election rules and guidelines,” it stated.
It further recommended that: “The National Assembly and INEC should amend the electoral legal framework (Electoral Act and INEC Guidelines) to introduce early voting to allow eligible voters on essential election duties, such as security personnel, INEC staff, election observers, journalists, etc., to vote at elections.”
It also called on the National Assembly to review the Electoral Act to address the ambiguities in the results collation and transmission process and the role of technology in the results management value chain.
Above all, it said: “The National Assembly should strengthen the electoral law to make electronic transmission of results mandatory, including the upload of polling unit-level results and results sheets used at different levels of results collation.” Courtesy of Imoleayo Oyedeyi
